THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


-7  ^^iu  -n^f  ~^r&' ri—  ) 


fK)  ( 


TRUE    RICHES; 


WEALTH    WITHOUT    WINGS. 


BY  T.  S.  ARTHUR. 


BOSTON: 
L.  P.  CKOWN  &  CO.,  61  CORNHILL. 

1852. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852,  by 

J.  W.  BRADLEY, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  and  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PS 

A?  37 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  original  title  chosen  for  this  book  was  "  Riches 
without  Wings ;"  but  the  author  becoming  aware, 
before  giving  it  a  permanent  form,  that  a  volume  bearing 
a  similar  title  had  appeared  some  years  ago,  of  which  a 
new  edition  was  about  to  be  issued,  thought  it  best  to 
substitute  therefor,  "  True  Riches ;  or,  Wealth  without 
Wings,"  which,  in  fact,  expresses  more  accurately  the 
character  and  scope  of  his  story. 

The  lessons  herein  taught  are  such  as  cannot  be 
learned  too  early,  nor  dwelt  on  too  long  or  too  often,  by 
those  who  are  engaged  in  the  active  and  all-absorbing 
duties  of  life.  In  the  struggle  for  natural  riches — the 
wealth  that  meets  the  eye  and  charms  the  imagination — 
how  many  forget  that  true  riches  can  only  be  laid  up  in 
the  heart;  and  that,  without  these  true  riches,  which 
have  no  wings,  gold,  the  god  of  this  world,  cannot 
bestow  a  single  blessing !  To  give  this  truth  a  varied 
charm  for  young  and  old,  the  author  has  made  of  it  a 

1*  5 

1117234 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

new  presentation,  and,  in  so  doing,  sought  to  invest  it 
with  all  the  winning  attractions  in  his  power  to  bestow. 

To  parents  who  regard  the  best  interests  of  their 
children,  and  to  young  men  and  women  just  stepping 
upon  the  world's  broad  stage  of  action,  we  offer  our 
book,  in  the  confident  belief  that  it  contains  vital  prin- 
ciples, which,  if  laid  up'  in  the  mind,  will,  like  good 
seed  in  good  ground,  produce  an  after-harvest,  in  the 
garnering  of  which  there  will  be  great  joy. 


TRUE  RICHES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"A  FAIR  day's  business.  A  very  fair  day's 
business,"  said  Leonard  Jasper,  as  he  closed  a 
small  account-book,  over  which  he  had  been  poring, 
pencil  in  hand,  for  some  ten  minutes.  The  tone  in 
which  he  spoke  expressed  more  than  ordinary  gra- 
tification. 

"  To  what  do  the  sales  amount  ?"  asked  a  young 
man,  clerk  to  the  dealer,  approaching  his  principal 
as  he  spoke. 

"  To  just  two  hundred  dollars,  Edward.  It's  the 
best  day  we've  had  for  a  month." 

"The  best,  in  more  than  one  sense,"  remarked 
the  young  man,  with  a  meaning  expression. 

"You're  right  there,  too,"  said  Jasper,  with  ani- 
mation, rubbing  his  hands  together  as  he  spoke,  in 
the  manner  of  one  who  is  particularly  well  pleased 
with  himself.  "  I  made  two  or  three  trades  that 
told  largely  on  the  sunny  side  of  profit  and  loss 
account." 

"  True  enough.  Though  I've  been  afraid,  ever 
since  you  sold  that  piece  of  velvet  to  Harland's 
wife,  that  you  cut  rather  deeper  than  was  prudent." 


8  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  Not  a  bit  of  it— not  a  bit  of  it !  Had  I  asked 
her  three  dollars  a  yard,  she  would  have  wanted  it 
for  two.  So  I  said  six,  to  begin  with,  expecting  to 
fall  extensively;  and,  to  put  a  good  face  on  the 
matter,  told  her  that  it  cost  within  a  fraction  of 
what  I  asked  to  make  the  importation — remarking, 
at  the  same  time,  that  the  goods  were  too  rich  in 
quality  to  bear  a  profit,  and  were  only  kept  as  a 
matter  of  accommodation  to  certain  customers." 

"And  she  bought  at  five?" 

"  Yes ;  thinking  she  had  obtained  the  velvet  at 
seventy-five  cents  a  yard  less  than  its  cost.  Gene- 
rous customer,  truly !" 

"  While  you,  in  reality,  made  two  dollars  and  a 
half  on  every  yard  she  bought." 

"  Precisely  that  sum." 

"  She  had  six  yards." 

"  Yes ;  out  of  which  we  made  a  clear  profit  of 
fifteen  dollars.  That  will  do,  I'm  thinking.  Opera- 
tions like  this  count  up  fast." 

"  Very  fast.     But,  Mr.  Jasper" 

"But  what,  Edward?" 

"  Is  it  altogether  prudent  to  multiply  operations 
of  this  character  ?  Won't  it  make  for  you  a  bad 
reputation,  and  thus  diminish,  instead  of  increasing, 
your  custom  ?" 

"  I  fear  nothing  of  the  kind.  One-half  the  peo- 
ple are  not  satisfied  unless  you  cheat  them.  I've 
handled  the  yardstick,  off  and  on,  for  the  last  fif- 
teen or  twenty  years,  and  I  think  my  observation 
during  that  time  is  worth  something.  It  tells  me 
this — that  a  bold  face,  a  smooth  tongue,  and  an 
easy  conscience  are  worth  more  in  our  business  than 


WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS. 


any  other  qualities.  With  these  you  may  do  as  you 
list.  They  tell  far  better  than  all  the  *  one-price' 
and  fair-dealing  professions,  in  which  people  have 
little  faith.  In  fact,  the  mass  will  overreach  if  they 
can,  and  therefore  regard  these  'honest'  assump- 
tions with  suspicion." 

The  young  man,  Edward  Claire,  did  not  make  a 
reply  for  nearly  a  minute.  Something  in  the  words 
of  Mr.  Jasper  had  fixed  his  thought,  and  left  him, 
for  a  brief  space  of  time,  absorbed  in  his  own 
reflections. 

Lifting,  at  length,  his  eyes,  which  had  been  rest- 
ing on  the  floor,  he  said — 

"  Our  profit  on  to-day's  sales  must  reach  very 
nearly  fifty  dollars." 

"Just  that  sum,  if  I  have  made  a  right  estimate," 
replied  Jasper ;  "  and  that  is  what  I  call  a  fair  day's 
business." 

While  he  was  yet  speaking,  a  lad  entered  the 
store,  and  laid  upon  the  counter  a  small  sealed 
package,  bearing  the  superscription,  "  Leonard  Jas- 
per, Esq."  The  merchant  cut  the  red  tape  with 
which  it  was  tied,  broke  the  seal,  and  opening  the 
package,  took  therefrom  several  papers,  over  which 
he  ran  his  eyes  hurriedly ;  his  clerk,  as  he  did  so, 
turning  away. 

"  What's  this  ?"  muttered  Jasper  to  himself,  not 
at  first  clearly  comprehending  the  nature  of  the 
business  to  which  the  communication  related. 
"Executor!  To  what?  Oh!  ah!  Estate  of  Ruben 
Elder.  Humph !  What  possessed  him  to  trouble 
me  with  this  business  ?  I've  no  time  to  play  execu- 
tor to  an  estate,  the  whole  proceeds  of  which  would 


10  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


hardly  fill  my  trousers'  pocket.  He  was  a  thrift- 
less fellow  at  hest,  and  never  could  more  than  keep 
his  head  out  of  water.  His  debts  will  swallow  up 
every  thing,  of  course,  saving  my  commissions, 
which  I  would  gladly  throw  in  to  be  rid  of  this 
business." 

With  this,  Jasper  tossed  the  papers  into  his'  desk, 
and,  taking  up  his  hat,  said  to  his  clerk — 

"  You  may  shut  the  store,  Edward.  Before  you 
leave,  see  that  every  thing  is  made  safe." 

The  merchant  than  retired,  and  wended  his  way 
homeward. 

Edward  Claire  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  follow  this 
example.  His  first  act  was  to  close  the  window- 
shutters  and  door — turning  the  key  in  the  latter, 
and  remaining  inside. 

Entirely  alone,  and  hidden  from  observation,  the 
young  man  seated  himself,  and  let  his  thoughts, 
which  seemed  to  be  active  on  some  subject,  take 
their  own  way.  He  was  soon  entirely  absorbed. 
Whatever  were  his  thoughts,  one  thing  would  have 
been  apparent  to  an  observer — they  did  not  run  in 
a  quiet  stream.  Something  disturbed  their  current, 
for  his  brow  was  knit,  his  compressed  lips  had  a  dis- 
turbed motion,  and  his  hands  moved  about  at  times 
uneasily.  At  length  he  arose,  not  hurriedly,  but 
with  a  deliberate  motion,  threw  his  arms  behind 
him,  and,  bending  forward,  with  his  eyes  cast  down, 
paced  the  length  of  the  store  two  or  three  times, 
backward  and  forward,  slowly. 

"  Fifty  dollars  profit  in  one  day,"  he  at  length 
said,  half  audibly.  "  That  will  do,  certainly.  I'd 
be  contented  with  a  tenth  part  of  the  sum.  He's 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  11 


bound  to  get  rich ;  that's  plain.  Fifty  dollars  in  a 
single  day  !  Leonard  Jasper,  you're  a  shrewd  one. 
I  shall  have  to  lay  aside  some  of  my  old-fashioned 
squeamishness,  and  take  a  few  lessons  from  so  ac- 
complished a  teacher.  But,  he's  a  downright 
cheat !" 

Some  better  thought  had  swept  suddenly,  in  a 
gleam  of  light,  across  the  young  man's  mind,  show- 
ing him  the  true  nature  of  the  principles  from  which 
the  merchant  acted,  and,  for  the  moment,  causing 
his  whole  nature  to  revolt  against  them.  But  the 
light  faded  slowly ;  a  state  of  darkness  and  confu- 
sion followed,  and  then  the  old  current  of  thought 
moved  on  as  before. 

Slowly,  and  now  with  an  attitude  of  deeper  ab- 
straction, moved  the  young  man  backward  and 
forward  the  entire  length  of  the  room,  of  which  he 
was  the  sole  occupant.  He  felt  that  he  was  alone, 
that  no  human  eye  could  note  a  single  movement. 
Of  the  all-seeing  Eye  he  thought  not — his  spirit's 
evil  counsellors,  drawn  intimately  nigh  to  him 
through  inclinations  to  evil,  kept  that  consciousness 
from  his  mind. 

At  length  Claire  turned  to  the  desk  upon  which 
were  the  account-books  that  had  been  used  during 
the  day,  and  commenced  turning  the  leaves  of  one 
of  them  in  a  way  that  showed  only  a  half-formed 
purpose.  There  was  an  impulse  to  something  in 
his  mind ;  an  impulse  not  yet  expressed  in  any  form 
of  thought,  though  in  the  progress  toward  some- 
thing definite. 

"Fifty  dollars  a  day!"  he  murmurs.  Ah,  that 
shows  the  direction  of  his  mind.  He  is  still  strug- 


12  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


gling  in  temptation,  and  with  all  his  inherited 
cupidities  bearing  him  downward. 

Suddenly  he  starts,  turns  his  head,  and  listens 
eagerly,  and  with  a  strange  agitation.  Some  one 
had  tried  the  door.  For  a  few  moments  he  stood 
in  an  attitude  of  the  most  profound  attention.  But 
the  trial  was  not  repeated.  How  audibly,  to  his 
own  ears,  throbbed  his  heart !  How  oppressed  was 
his  bosom  !  How,  in  a  current  of  fire,  rushed  the 
blood  to  his  over-excited  brain  ! 

The  hand  upon  the  door  was  but  an  ordinary  oc- 
currence. It  might  now  be  only  a  customer,  who, 
seeing  a  light  within,  hoped  to  supply  some  neglected 
want,  or  a  friend  passing  by,  who  wished  for  a  few 
words  of  pleasant  gossip.  At  any  other  time  Claire 
would  have  stepped  quickly  and  with  undisturbed 
expectation  to  receive  the  applicant  for  admission. 
But  guilty  thoughts  awakened  their  nervous  attend- 
ants, suspicion  and  fear,  and  these  had  sounded  an 
instant  alarm. 

Still,  very  still,  sat  Edward  Claire,  even  to  the 
occasional  suppression  of  his  breathing,  which,  to 
him,  seemed  strangely  loud. 

Several  minutes  elapsed,  and  then  the  young  man 
commenced  silently  to  remove  the  various  account- 
books  to  their  nightly  safe  deposite  in  the  fire-proof. 
The  cash-box,  over  the  contents  of  which  he '  lin- 
gered, counting  note  by  note  and  coin  by  coin,  seve- 
ral times  repeated,  next  took  its  place  with  the  books. 
The  heavy  iron  door  swung  to,  the  key  traversed 
noiselessly  the  delicate  and  complicated 'wards,  was 
removed  and  deposited  in  a  place  of  safety ;  and,  yet 
unrecovered  from  his  mood  of  abstraction,  the  clerk 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  13 


left  the  store,  and  took  his  way  homeward.  From 
that  hour  Edward  Claire  was  to  be  the  subject  of  a 
fierce  temptation.  He  had  admitted  an  evil  sugges- 
tion, and  had  warmed  it  in  the  earth  of  his  mind, 
even  to  germination.  Already  a  delicate  root  had 
penetrated  the  soil,  and  was  extracting  food  there- 
from. Oh  !  why  did  he  not  instantly  pluck  it  out, 
when  the  hand  of  an  infant  would  have  sufficed  in 
strength  for  the  task  ?  Why  did  he  let  it  remain, 
shielding  it  from  the  cold  winds  of  rational  truth 
and  the  hot  sun  of  good  affections,  until  it  could 
live,  sustained  by  its  own  organs  of  appropriation 
and  nutrition  ?  Why  did  he  let  it  remain  until  its 
lusty  growth  gave  sad  promise  of  an  evil  tree,  in 
which  birds  of  night  find  shelter  and  build  nests 
for  their  young  ? 

Let  us  introduce  another  scene  and  another  per- 
sonage, who  will  claim,  to  some  extent,  the  reader's 
attention. 

There  were  two  small  but  neatly,  though  plainly, 
furnished  rooms,  in  the  second  story  of  a  house  lo- 
cated in  a  retired  street.  In  one  of  these  rooms  tea 
was  prepared,  and  near  the  tea-table  sat  a  young 
woman,  with  a  sleeping  babe  nestled  to  her  bosom. 
She  was  fair-faced  and  sunny-haired ;  and  in  her 
blue  eyes  lay,  in  calm  beauty,  sweet  tokens  of  a 
pure  and  loving  heart.  How  tenderly  she  looked 
down,  now  and  then,  upon  the  slumbering  cherub 
whose  winning  ways  and  murmurs  of  affection  had 
blessed  her  through  the  day  !  Happy  young  wife  ! 
these  are  thy  halcyon  days.  Care  has  not  thrown 
upon  thee  a  single  shadow  from  his  gloomy  wing, 
2 


14  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


and  hope  pictures  the  smiling  future  with  a  sky  of 
sunny  brightness. 

"  How  long  he  stays  away  !"  had  just  passed  her 
lips,  when  the  sound  of  well-known  footsteps  was 
heard  in  the  passage  below.  A  brief  time,  and 
then  the  room-door  opened,  and  Edward  Claire 
came  in.  What  a  depth  of  tenderness  was  in  his 
voice  as  he  bent  his  lips  to  those  of  his  young  wife, 
murmuring — 

"  My  Edith !"  and  then  touching,  with  a  gentler 
pressure,  the  white  forehead  of  his  sleeping  babe. 

"You  were  late  this  evening,  dear,"  said  Edith, 
looking  into  the  face  of  her  husband,  whose  eyes 
drooped  under  her  earnest  gaze. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  with  a  slight  evasion  in  his 
tone  and  manner ;  "we  have  been  busier  than  usual 
to-day." 

As  he  spoke  the  young  wife  arose,  and  taking 
her  slumbering  child  into  the  adjoining  chamber, 
laid  it  gently  in  its  crib.  Then  returning,  she  made 
the  tea — the  kettle  stood  boiling  by  the  grate — 
and  in  a  little  while  they  sat  down  to  their  evening 
meal. 

Edith  soon  observed  that  her  husband  was  more 
thoughtful  and  less  talkative  than  usual.  She 
asked,  however,  no  direct  question  touching  this 
change ;  but  regarded  what  he  did  say  with  closer 
attention,  hoping  to  draw  a  correct  inference,  with*- 
out  seeming  to  notice  his  altered  mood. 

"Mr.  Jasper's  business  is  increasing?"  she  said, 
somewhat  interrogatively,  while  they  still  sat  at  the 
table,  an  expression  of  her  husband's  leading  to  this 
remark. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  15 


"Yes,  increasing  very  rapidly,"  replied  Claire, 
with  animation.  "  The  fact  is,  he  is  going  to  get 
rich.  Do  you  know  that  his  profit  on  to-day's  sales 
amounted  to  fifty  dollars?" 

"  So  much  ?"  said  Edith,  yet  in  a  tone  that  showed 
no  surprise  or  particular  interest  in  the  matter. 

"  Fifty  dollars  a  day,"  resumed  Claire,  "  counting 
three  hundred  week-days  in  the  year,  gives  the 
handsome  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  in  the 
year.  I'd  be  satisfied  with  as  much  in  five  years." 

There  was  more  feeling  in  the  tone  of  his  voice 
than  he  had  meant  to  betray.  His  young  wife  lifted 
her  eyes  to  his  face,  and  looked  at  him  with  a  won- 
der she  could  not  conceal. 

"  Contentment,  dear,"  said  she,  in  a  gentle,  sub- 
dued, yet  tender  voice,  "  is  great  gain.  We  have 
enough,  and  more  than  enough,  to  make  us  happy. 
Natural  riches  have  no  power  to  fill  the  heart's  most 
yearning  affections ;  and  how  often  do  they  take  to 
themselves  wings  and  fly  away." 

"  Enough,  dear  !"  replied  Edward  Claire,  smiling. 
"  0  no,  not  enough,  by  any  means.  Five  hundred 
dollars  a  year  is  but  a  meagre  sum.  What  does  it 
procure  for  us  ?  Only  these  two  rooms  and  the 
commonest  necessaries  of  life.  We  cannot  even  af- 
ford the  constant  service  of  a  domestic." 

"Why,  Edward!  what  has  come  over  you?  Have 
I  complained  ?" 

"  No,  dear,  no.  But  think  you  I  have  no  ambi- 
tion to  see  my  wife  take  a  higher  place  than  this  ?" 

"  Ambition  !  Do  not  again  use  that  word,"  said 
Edith,  very  earnestly.  "  What  has  love  to  do  with 
ambition  ?  What  have  we  to  do  with  the  world  and 


16  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


its  higher  places  ?  Will  a  more  elegant  home  secure 
for  us  a  purer  joy  than  we  have  known  and  still 
know  in  this  our  Eden  ?  Oh,  my  husband  !  do  not 
let  such  thoughts  come  into  your  mind.  Let  us  be 
content  with  what  God  in  his  wisdom  provides,  as- 
sured that  it  is  best  for  us.  In  envying  the  good  of 
another,  we  destroy  our  own  good.  There  is  a 
higher  wealth  than  gold,  Edward ;  and  it  supplies 
higher  wants.  There  are  riches  without  wings ; 
they  lie  scattered  about  our  feet ;  we  may  fill  our 
coffers,  if  we  will.  Treasures  of  good  affections  and 
true  thoughts  are  worth  more  than  all  earthly 
riches,  and  will  bear  us  far  more  safely  and  happily 
through  the  world ;  such  treasures  are  given  to  all 
who  will  receive  them,  and  given  in  lavish  abun- 
dance. Let  us  secure  of  this  wealth,  Edward,  a 
liberal  share." 

"  Mere  treasures  of  the  mind,  Edith,  do  not  sus- 
tain natural  life,  do  not  supply  natural  demands. 
They  build  no  houses ;  they  provide  not  for  increas- 
ing wants.  We  cannot  always  remain  in  the  ideal 
world;  the  sober  realities  of  life  will  drag  us 
down." 

The  simple-hearted,  true-minded  young  wife  was 
not  understood  by  her  husband.  She  felt  this,  and 
felt  it  oppressively. 

"Have  we  not  enough,  Edward,  to  meet  every 
real  want?"  she  urged.  "Do  we  desire  better  food 
or  better  clothing  ?  Would  our  bodies  be  more 
comfortable  because  our  carpets  were  of  richer  ma- 
terial, and  our  rooms  filled  with  costlier  furniture  ? 
0  no  !  If  not  contented  with  such  things  as  Pro- 
vidence gives  us  to-day,  we  shall  not  find  content- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  IT 


ment  in  what  he  gives  us  to-morrow ;  for  the  same 
dissatisfied  heart  will  beat  in  our  bosoms.  Let  Mr. 
Jasper  get  rich,  if  he  can ;  we  will  not  envy  his 
possessions." 

"I  do  not  envy  him,  Edith,"  replied  Claire. 
"  But  I  cannot  feel  satisfied  with  the  small  salary 
he  pays  me.  My  services  are,  I  know,  of  greater 
value  than  he  estimates  them,  and  I  feel  that  I  am 
dealt  by  unjustly." 

Edith  made  no  answer.  The  subject  was  repug- 
nant to  her  feelings,  and  she  did  not  wish  to  prolong 
it.  Claire  already  regretted  its  introduction.  So 
there  was  silence  for  nearly  a  minute. 

When  the  conversation  flowed  on  again,  it  em- 
braced a  different  theme,  but  had  in  it  no  warmth 
of  feeling.  Not  since  they  had  joined  hands  at  the 
altar,  nearly  two  years  before,  had  they  passed  so 
embarrassed  and  really  unhappy  an  evening  as  this. 
A  tempting  spirit  had  found  its  way  into  their  Para- 
dise, burning  with  a  fierce  desire  to  mar  its  beauty. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  OH,  what  a  dream  I  have  had  !"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Claire,  starting  suddenly  from  sleep,  just  as  the 
light  began  to  come  in  dimly  through  the  windows 
on  the  next  morning ;  and,  as  she  spoke,  she 
caught  hold  of  her  husband,  and  clung  to  him, 
frightened  and  trembling. 


18  TKUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Oh,  such  a  dream!"  she  added,  as  her  mind 
grew  clearer,  and  she  felt  better  assured  of  the 
reality  that  existed.  "I  thought,  love,  that  we 
were  sitting  in  our  room,  as  we  sit  every  evening — 
baby  asleep,  I  sewing,  and  you,  as  usual,  reading 
aloud.  How  happy  we  were !  happier,  it  seemed, 
than  we  had  ever  been  before.  A  sudden  loud 
knock  startled  us  both.  Then  two  men  entered, 
one  of  whom  drew  a  paper  from  his  pocket,  declar- 
ing, as  he  did  so,  that  you  were  arrested  at  the  in- 
stance of  Mr.  Jasper,  who  accused  you  with  having 
robbed  him  of  a  large  amount  of  money." 

"Why,  Edith!"  ejaculated  Edward  Claire,  in  a 
voice  of  painful  surprise.  He,  too,  had  been  dream- 
ing, and  in  his  dream  he  had  done  what  his  heart 
prompted  him  to  do  on  the  previous  evening — to  act 
unfaithfully  toward  his  employer. 

"  Oh,  it  was  dreadful !  dreadful !"  continued  Edith. 
"  Rudely  they  seized  and  bore  you  away.  Then  came 
the  trial.  Oh,  I  see  it  all  as  plainly  as  if  it  had 
been  real.  You,  my  good,  true,  noble-hearted  hus- 
band, who  had  never  wronged  another,  even  in 
thought — you  were  accused  of  robbery  in  the  pre- 
sence of  hundreds,  and  positive  witnesses  were 
brought  forward  to  prove  the  terrible  charge.  All 
they  alleged  was  believed  by  those  who  heard.  The 
judges  pronounced  you  guilty,  and  then  sentenced 
you  to  a  gloomy  prison.  They  were  bearing  you 
off,  when,  in  my  agony,  I  awoke.  It  was  terrible, 
terrible  !  yet,  thank  God !  only  a  dream,  a  fearful 
dream !" 

Claire  drew  his  arms  around  his  young  wife,  and 
clasped  her  with  a  straining  embrace  to  his  bosom. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  19 


He  made  no  answer  for  some  time.  The  relation 
of  a  dream  so  singular,  under  the  circumstances, 
had  startled  him,  and  he  almost  feared  to  trust  his 
voice  in  response.  At  length,  with  a  deeply-drawn, 
sighing  breath,  nature's  spontaneous  struggle  for 
relief,  he  said — 

"Yes,  dear,  that  was  a  fearful  dream.  The 
thought  of  it  makes  me  shudder.  But,  after  all,  it 
was  only  a  dream ;  the  whispering  of  a  malignant 
spirit  in  your  ear.  Happily,  his  power  to  harm 
extends  no  further.  The  fancy  may  be  possessed  in 
sleep,  but  the  reason  lies  inactive,  and  the  hands 
remain  idle.  No  guilt  can  stain  the  spirit.  The, 
night  passes,  and  we  go  abroad  in  the  morning  as 
pure  as  when  we  laid  our  heads  wearily  to  rest." 

"And  more,"  added  Edith,  her  mind  fast  reco- 
vering itself;  "with  a  clearer  perception  of  what 
is  true  and  good.  The  soul's  disturbed  balance 
finds  its  equilibrium.  It  is  not  the  body  alone  that 
is  refreshed  and  strengthened.  The  spirit,  plied 
with  temptation  after  temptation  through  the  day, 
and  almost  ready  to  yield  when  the  night  cometh, 
finds  rest  also,  and  time  to  recover  its  strength. 
In  the  morning  it  goes  forth  again,  stronger 
for  its  season  of  repose.  How  often,  as  the  day 
dawned,  have  I  lifted  my  heart  and  thanked  God 
for  sleep !" 

Thus  prompted,  an  emotion  of  thankfulness  arose 
in  the  breast  of  Claire,  but  the  utterance  was  kept 
back  from  the  lips.  He  had  a  secret,  a  painful  and 
revolting  secret,  in  his  heart,  and  he  feared  lest 
something  should  betray  its  existence  to  his  wife. 
What  would  he  not  have  given  at  the  moment  to 


20  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


have  blotted  out  for  ever  the  memory  of  thoughts 
too  earnestly  cherished  on  the  evening  before,  when 
he  was  alone  with  the  tempter  ? 

There  was  a  shadow  on  the  heart  of  Edith  Claire. 
The  unusual  mood  of  her  husband  on  the  previous 
evening,  and  the  dream  which  had  haunted  her 
through  the  night,  left  impressions  that  could  not 
be  shaken  off.  She  had  an  instinct  of  danger — 
danger  lurking  in  the  path  of  one  in  whom  her  very 
life  was  bound  up. 

When  Edward  was  about  leaving  her  to  go  forth 
for  the  day,  she  lingered  by  his  side  and  clung  to 
him,  as  if  she  could  not  let  him  pass  from  the  safe 
shelter  of  home. 

"  Ah !  if  I  could  always  be  with  you  !"  said  Edith 
— "if  we  could  ever  move  on,  hand  in  hand  and 
side  by  side,  how  full  to  running  over  would  be  my 
cup  of  happiness !" 

"Are  we  not  ever  side  by  side,  dear?"  replied 
Claire,  tenderly.  "  You  are  present  to  my  thought 
all  the  day." 

"  And  you  to  mine.  0  yes  !  yes  !  We  are  mov- 
ing side  by  side ;  our  mutual  thought  gives  presence. 
Yet  it  was  the  bodily  presence  I  desired.  But  that 
cannot  be." 

"  Good-bye,  love  !  Good-bye,  sweet  one  !"  said 
Claire,  kissing  his  wife,  and  gently  pressing  his  lips 
upon  those  of  the  babe  she  held  in  her  arms.  He 
then  passed  forth,  and  took  his  way  to  the  store  of 
Leonard  Jasper,  in  whose  service  he  had  been  for 
two  years,  or  since  the  date  of  his  marriage. 

A  scene  transpired  a  few  days  previous  to  this, 
which  we  will  briefly  describe.  Three  persons  were 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  21 


alone  in  a  chamber,  the  furniture  of  which,  though 
neither  elegant  nor  costly,  evinced  taste  and  refine- 
ment. Lying  upon  a  bed  was  a  man,  evidently  near 
the  time  of  his  departure  from  earth.  By  his  side, 
and  bending  over  him,  was  a  woman  almost  as  pale 
as  himself.  A  little  girl,  not  above  five  years  of 
age,  sat  on  the  foot  of  the  bed,  with  her  eyes  fixed 
on  the  countenance  of  her  father,  for  such  was  the 
relation  borne  to  her  by  the  sick  man.  A  lovely 
creature  she  was — beautiful  even  beyond  the  com- 
mon beauty  of  childhood.  For  a  time  a  solemn 
stillness  reigned  through  the  chamber.  A  few  low- 
spoken  words  had  passed  between  the  parents  of  the 
child,  and  then,  for  a  brief  period,  all  was  deep,  op- 
pressive silence.  This  was  interrupted,  at  length, 
by  the  mother's  unrestrained  sobs,  as  she  laid  her 
face  upon  the  bosom  of  her  husband,  so  soon  to  be 
taken  from  her,  and  wept  aloud. 

No  word  of  remonstrance  or  comfort  came  from 
the  sick  man's  lips.  He  only  drew  his  arm  about 
the  weeper's  neck,  and  held  her  closer  to  his  heart. 

The  troubled  waters  soon  ran  clear :  there  was 
calmness  in  their  depths. 

"It  is  but  for  a  little  while,  Fanny,"  said  he,  in 
a  feeble  yet  steady  voice;  "only  for  a  little 
while." 

"I know;  I  feel  that  here,"  was  replied,  as  a 
thin,  white  hand  was  laid  against  the  speaker's 
bosom.  "And  I  could  patiently  await  my  time, 
but" 

Her  eyes  glanced  yearningly  toward  the  child, 
who  sat  gazing  upon  her  parents,  with  an  instinct 
of  approaching  evil  at  her  heart. 


22  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


Too  well  did  the  dying  man  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  this  glance. 

"  God  will  take  care  of  her.  He  will  raise  her 
up  friends,"  said  he  quickly;  yet,  even  as  he  spoke, 
his  heart  failed  him. 

"All  that  is  left  to  us  is  our  trust  in  Him,"  mur- 
mured the  wife  and  mother.  Her  voice,  though  so 
low  as  to  be  almost  a  whisper,  was  firm.  She  real- 
ized, as  she  spoke,  how  much  of  bitterness  was  in 
the  parting  hours  of  the  dying  one,  and  she  felt 
that  duty  required  her  to  sustain  him,  so  far  as  she 
had  the  strength  to  do  so.  And  so  she  nerved  her 
woman's  heart,  almost  breaking  as  it  was,  to  bear 
and  hide  her  own  sorrows,  while  she  strove  to 
comfort  and  strengthen  the  failing  spirit  of  her 
husband. 

"  God  is  good,"  said  she,  after  a  brief  silence, 
during  which  she  was  striving  for  the  mastery  over 
her  weakness.  As  she  spoke,  she  leaned  over  the 
sick  man,  and  looked  at  him  lovingly,  and  with  the 
smile  of  an  angel  on  her  counteance. 

"  Yes,  God  is  good,  Fanny.  Have  we  not  proved 
this,  again  and  again  ?"  was  returned,  a  feeble  light 
coming  into  the  speaker's  pale  face. 

"A  thousand  times,  dear!  a  thousand  times!" 
said  the  wife,  earnestly.  "  He  is  infinite  in  his  good- 
ness, and  we  are  his  children." 

"Yes,  his  children,"  was  the  whispered  response. 
And  over  and  over  again  he  repeated  the  words, 
"His  children;"  his  voice  falling  lower  and  lower 
each  time,  until  at  length  his  eyes  closed,  and  his 


in-going  thought  found  no  longer  an  utterance. 
Twilight  had  come.  The 


deepening  shadows  were 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  23 


fast  obscuring  all  objects  in  the  sick-chamber,  where 
silence  reigned,  profound  almost  as  death. 

"He  sleeps,"  whispered  the  wife,  as  she  softly 
raised  herself  from  her  reclining  position  on  the 
bed.  "And  dear  Fanny  sleeps  also,"  was  added, 
as  her  eyes  rested  upon  the  unconscious  form  of  her 
child. 

Two  hours  later,  and  the  last  record  was  made  in 
Ruben  Elder's  Book  of  Life. 

For  half  an  hour  before  the  closing  scene,  his 
mind  was  clear,  and  he  then  spoke  calmly  of  what 
he  had  done  for  those  who  were  to  remain  behind. 

"To  Leonard  Jasper,  my  old  friend,"  said  he  to 
his  wife,  "  I  have  left  the  management  of  my  affairs. 
He  will  see  that  every  thing  is  done  for  the  best. 
There  is  not  much  property,  yet  enough  to  insure  a 
small  income  ;  and,  when  you  follow  me  to  the  bet- 
ter land,  sufficient  for  the  support  and  education  of 
our  child." 

Peacefully,  after  this,  he  sank  away,  and,  like  a 
weary  child  falling  into  slumber,  slept  that  sleep 
from  which  the  awakening  is  in  another  world. 

How  Leonard  Jasper  received  the  announcement 
of  his  executorship  has  been  seen.  The  dying  man 
had  referred  to  him  as  an  old  friend ;  but,  as  the 
reader  has  already  concluded,  there  was  little  room 
in  his  sordid  heart  for  so  pure  a  sentiment  as  that 
of  friendship.  He,  however,  lost  no  time  in  ascer- 
taining the  amount  of  property  left  by  Elder,  which 
consisted  of  two  small  houses  in  the  city,  and  a  bar- 
ren tract  of  about  sixty  acres  of  land,  somewhere  in 
Pennsylvania,  which  had  been  taken  for  a  debt  of 
five  hundred  dollars.  In  view  of  his  death,  Elder 


24  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


had  wound  up  his  business  some  months  before,  paid 
off  what  he  owed,  and  collected  in  nearly  all  out- 
standing accounts ;  so  that  little  work  remained  for 
his  executor,  except  to  dispose  of  the  unprofitable 
tract  of  land  and  invest  the  proceeds. 

On  the  day  following  the  opening  of  our  story, 
Jasper,  who  still  felt  annoyed  at  the  prospect  of 
more  trouble  than  profit  in  the  matter  of  his  execu- 
torship,  made  a  formal  call  upon  the  widow  of  his 
old  friend. 

The  servant,  to  whom  he  gave  his  name,  stated 
that  Mrs.  Elder  was  so  ill  as  not  to  be  able  to  leave 
her  room. 

"I  will  call  again,  then,  in  a  few  days,"  said  he. 
"Be  sure  you  give  her  my  name  correctly.  Mr. 
Jasper — Leonard  Jasper." 

The  face  of  the  servant  wore  a  troubled  aspect. 

"  She  is  very  sick,  sir,"  said  she,  in  a  worried, 
hesitating  manner.  "  Won't  you  take  a  seat,  for  a 
moment,  until  I  go  up  and  tell  her  that  you  are  here  ? 
Maybe  she  would  like  to  see  you.  I  think  I  heard 
her  mention  your  name  a  little  while  ago." 

Jasper  sat  down,  and  the  domestic  left  the  room. 
She  was  gone  but  a  short  time,  when  she  returned 
and  said  that  Mrs.  Elder  wished  to  see  him.  Jasper 
arose  and  followed  her  up-stairs.  There  were  some 
strange  misgivings  in  his  heart — some  vague,  trou- 
bled anticipations,  that  oppressed  his  feelings.  But 
he  had  little  time  for  thought  ere  he  was  ushered 
into  the  chamber  of  his  friend's  widow. 

A  single  glance  sufficed  to  tell  him  the  whole  sad 
truth  of  the  case.  There  was  no  room  for  mistake. 
The  bright,  glazed  eyes,  the  rigid,  colourless  lips, 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  25 


the  ashen  countenance,  all  testified  that  the  hour  of 
her  departure  drew  nigh.  How  strong,  we  had 
almost  said,  how  beautiful,  was  the  contrasted  form 
and  features  of  her  lovely  child,  whose  face,  so  full 
of  life  and  rosy  health,  pressed  the  same  pillow  that 
supported  her  weary  head. 

Feebly  the  dying  woman  extended  her  hand,  as 
Mr.  Jasper  came  in,  saying,  as  she  did  so — 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come ;  I  was  about  sending 
for  you." 

A  slight  tremor  of  the  lips  accompanied  her 
words,  and  it  was  plain  that  the  presence  of  Jasper, 
whose  relation  to  her  and  her  child  she  understood, 
caused  a  wave  of  emotion  to  sweep  over  her  heart. 

"I  am  sorry,  Mrs.  Elder,  to  find  you  so  very  ill," 
said  Jasper,  with  as  much  of  sympathy  in  his  voice 
as  he  could  command.  "  Has  your  physician  been 
here  to-day?" 

"It  is  past  that,  sir — past  that,"  was  replied. 
"  There  is  no  further  any  hope  for  me  in  the  phy- 
sician's art." 

A  sob  choked  all  further  utterance. 

How  oppressed  was  the  cold-hearted,  selfish  man 
of  the  world !  His  thoughts  were  all  clouded,  and 
his  lips  for  a  time  sealed.  As  the  dying  woman 
said,  so  he  felt  that  it  was.  The  time  of  her  depar- 
ture had  come.  An  instinct  of  self-protection — 
protection  for  his  feelings — caused  him,  after  a  few 
moments,  to  say,  and  he  turned  partly  from  the  bed 
as  he  spoke — 

"  Some  of  your  friends  should  be  with  you,  ma- 
dam, at  this  time.  Let  me  go  for  them.  Have  you 
a  sister  or  near  relative  in  the  city?" 


26  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


The  words  and  movement  of  Mr.  Jasper  restored 
at  once  the  conscious  self-possession  of  the  dying 
mother,  and  she  raised  herself  partly  up  with  a 
quick  motion,  and  a  gleam  of  light  in  her  counte- 
nance. 

"  Oh,  sir,"  she  said  eagerly,  "  do  not  go  yet.  I 
have  no  sister,  no  near  relative ;  none  but  you  to 
whom  I  can  speak  my  last  words  and  give  my  last 
injunction.  You  Avere  my  husband's  friend  while  he 
lived,  and  to  you  has  he  committed  the  care  of  his 
widow  and  orphan.  I  am  called,  alas,  too  soon  !  to 
follow  him ;  and  now,  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  in 
the  presence  of  his  spirit — for  I  feel  that  he  is  near 
us  now — I  commit  to  you  the  care  of  this  dear 
child.  Oh,  sir !  be  to  her  as  a  father.  Love  her 
tenderly,  and  care  for  her  as  if  she  were  your  own. 
Her  heart  is  rich  with  affection,  and  upon  you  will 
its  treasures  be  poured  out.  Take  her  !  take  her  as 
your  own  !  Here  I  give  to  you,  in  this  the  solemn 
hour  of  my  departure,  that  which  to  me  is  above  all 
price." 

And  as  she  said  this,  with  a  suddenly  renewed 
strength,  she  lifted  the  child,  and,  ere  Jasper  could 
check  the  movement,  placed  her  in  his  arms.  Then, 
with  one  long,  eager,  clinging  kiss  pressed  upon  the 
lips  of  that  child,  she  sank  backward  on  the  bed ; 
and  life,  which  had  flashed  up  brightly  for  a  mo- 
ment, went  out  in  this  world  for  ever. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  27 


CHAPTER  III. 

LEONARD  JASPER  would  have  been  less  than  hu- 
man had  he  borne  such  an  assault  upon  his  feelings 
without  emotion ;  less  than  human  had  his  heart 
instantly  and  spontaneously  rejected  the  dying  mo- 
ther's wildly  eloquent  appeal.  He  was  bewildered, 
startled,  even  deeply  moved. 

The  moment  he  could,  with  propriety  and  a  decent 
regard  for  appearances,  get  away  from  the  house 
where  he  had  witnessed  so  painful  a  scene,  he  re- 
turned to  his  place  of  business  in  a  sobered,  thought- 
ful state  of  mind.  He  had  not  anticipated  so  direct  a 
guardianship  of  Ruben  Elder's  child  as  it  was  evident 
would  now  devolve  upon  him,  in  consequence  of  the 
mother's  death.  Here  was  to  be  trouble  for  him — 
this  was  his  feeling  so  soon  as  there  was  a  little  time 
for  reaction — and  trouble  without  profit.  He  would 
have  to  take  upon  himself  the  direct  charge  of  the 
little  girl,  and  duly  provide  for  her  maintenance  and 
education. 

"  If  there  is  property  enough  for  this,  well  and 
good,"  he  muttered  to  himself;  he  had  not  yet  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  real  state  of  affairs.  "  If 
not,"  he  added,  firmly,  "the  loss  will  be  hers;  that 
is  all.  I  shall  have  sufficient  trouble  and  annoy- 
ance, without  being  put  to  expense." 

For  some  time  after  his  return  to  his  store,  Jasper 
refrained  from  entering  upon  any  business.  During 


28  TRUE  RICHES  ;   OR, 


at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  he  sat  at  his  desk, 
completely  absorbed  in  thought.  At  length  he  called 
to  Edward  Claire,  his  principal  clerk,  and  said  that 
he  wished  to  spe&k  a  few  words  with  him.  The 
young  man  came  back  from  the  counter  to  where 
he  was  sitting,  wondering  what  had  produced  the 
very  apparent  change  in  his  employer's  state  of 
mind. 

"  Edward,"  said  Mr.  Jasper,  in  a  low,  serious 
voice,  "  there  is  a  little  matter  that  I  must  get  you  to 
attend  to  for  me.  It  is  not  very  pleasant,  it  is  true ; 
though  nothing  more  than  people  are  required  to  do 
every  day.  You  remember  Mr.  Elder,  Ruben  El- 
der, who  formerly  kept  store  in  Second  street  ?" 

'Very  well." 

'  He  died  last  week." 

'  I  noticed  his  death  in  the  papers." 

'  He  has  appointed  me  his  executor." 

'Ah?" 

'  Yes ;  and  I  wish  to  my  heart  he  had  appointed 
somebody  else.  I've  too  much  business  of  my  own 
to  attend  to." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Claire,  "  you  will  receive  your 
regular  commissions  for  attending  to  the  settlement 
of  his  estate." 

"  Poor  picking  there,"  replied  Jasper,  shrugging 
his  shoulders.  "I'd  very  cheerfully  give  up  the 
profit  to  be  rid  of  the  trouble.  But  that  doesn't 
signify  now.  Elder  has  left  his  affairs  in  my  hands, 
and  I  must  give  them  at  least  some  attention.  I'm 
not  coming  to  the  point,  however.  A  little  while 
ago  I  witnessed  the  most  painful  scene  that  ever 
fell  under  my  eyes." 


WEALTH    WITHOUT    WINGS.  29 


"Ah!" 

"  Yes,  truly.  Ugh  !  It  makes  the  cnills  creep 
over  me  as  I  think  of  it.  Last  evening  I  received 
regular  notification  of  my  appointment  as  executor 
to  Elder's  estate,  and  to-day  thought  it  only  right 
to  call  upon  the  widow,  and  see  if  any  present  ser- 
vice were  needed  by  the  family.  Such  a  scene  as  I 
encountered  !  Mrs.  Elder  was  just  at  the  point  of 
death,  and  expired  a  few  moments  after  my  entrance. 
Besides  a  single  domestic  and  a  child,  I  was  the  only 
witness  of  her  last  extremity." 

"  Shocking !" 

"You  may  well  say  shocking,  Edward,  unpre- 
pared as  I  was  for  such  an  occurrence.  My  nerves 
are  quivering  yet." 

"  Then  the  widow  is  dead  also  ?" 

"  Yes ;  both  have  gone  to  their  long  home." 

"  How  many  childen  are  left  ?" 

"  Only  one — a  little  girl,  not,  I  should  think, 
above  four  years  of  age." 

"  Some  near  relative  will,  I  presume,  take  charge 
of  her." 

"  In  dying,  the  mother  declared  that  she  had  no 
friend  to  whom  she  could  leave  the  child.  On  me, 
therefore,  devolves  the  care  of  seeing  to  its  main- 
tenance." 

' '  No  friend.  Poor  child !  and  of  so  tender  an  age ! ' ' 

"  She  is  young,  certainly,  to  be  left  alone  in  the 
-world." 

Jasper  uttered  these  words,  but  felt  nothing  of  the 
sad  meaning  they  involved. 

"What  disposition  will  you  make  of  her  ?"  asked 
Claire. 

3* 


30  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  I've  had  no  time  to  think  of  that  yet.  Other 
matters  are  first  to  be  regarded.  So  let  me  come  to 
the  point.  Mrs.  Elder  is  dead ;  and,  as  far  as  I 
could  see,  there  is  no  living  soul,  beyond  a  fright- 
ened servant,  to  do  any  thing.  Whether  she  will 
have  the  presence  of  mind  to  call  in  the  neighbours, 
is  more  than  I  can  say.  I  left  in  the  bewilderment 
of  the  moment ;  and  now  remember  me  that  some- 
thing is  to  be  done  for  the  dead.  Will  you  go  to 
the  house,  and  see  what  is  needed  ?  In  the  next 
block  is  an  undertaker;  you  had  better  call,  on 
your  way,  and  ask  him  to  go  with  you.  All  arrange- 
ments necessary  for  the  funeral  can  be  left  in  his 
hands.  Just  take  this  whole  matter  off  of  me,  Ed- 
ward, and  I  will  be  greatly  obliged  to  you.  I  have 
a  good  many  things  on  my  mind,  that  must  receive 
close  attention/' 

The  young  man  offered  no  objection,  although  the 
service  was  far  from  being  agreeable.  On  his  return, 
after  the  absence  of  an  hour,  Jasper  had,  of  course, 
many  inquiries  to  make.  Claire  appeared  serious. 
The  fact  was,  he  had  seen  enough  to  touch  his  feel- 
ings deeply.  The  grief  of  the  orphaned  child,  as  he 
was  a  witness  thereto,  had  brought  tears  upon  his 
cheeks,  in  spite  of  every  manly  effort  to  restrain 
them.  Her  extreme  beauty  struck  him  at  the  first 
glance,  even  obscured  as  it  was  under  a  vail  of  sor- 
row and  weeping. 

"There  were  several  persons  in,  you  say?"  re- 
marked Jasper,  after  Claire  had  related  a  number 
of  particulars. 

"Yes,  three  or  four." 

"  Ladies,  of  course  ?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  31 


"Yes." 

"  Did  any  of  them  propose  to  take  the  child  home 
•with  them?" 

"  Not  directly.  One  woman  asked  me  a  number 
of  questions  about  the  little  girl." 

"Of  what  nature?" 

"As  to  whether  there  were  any  relatives  or  par- 
ticular friends  who  would  take  charge  of  her?" 

"  And  you  told  her  there  were  none  ?" 

"  Yes ;  none  of  whom  I  had  any  knowledge." 

"  Well  ?     What  had  she  to  say  to  that  ?"     ( 

"  She  wanted  to  know  if  there  would  be  any  thing 
for  the  child's  support.  I  said  that  there  would,  in 
all  probability." 

"Well?"  ' 

"  Then  she  gave  me  to  understand,  that  if  no  one 
took  the  child,  she  might  be  induced  to  board  her 
for  a  while,  until  other  arrangements  were  made." 

"  Did  you  give  her  to  understand  that  this  was 
practicable  ?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Why  not  ?  She  will  have  to  be  boarded,  you 
know." 

"  I  neither  liked  the  woman's  face,  manner,  nor 
appearance." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Oh,  she  was  a  vulgar,  coarse,  hard-looking  crea- 
ture to  my  eyes." 

"  Kind  hearts  often  lie  concealed  under  unpro- 
mising externals." 

"  True ;  but  they  lie  not  concealed  under  that 
exterior,  be  well  assured,  Mr.  Jasper.  No,  no.  The 
ciiild  who  has  met  with  so  sad  a  loss  as  that  of  a 


TRUE   KICHES;    OR, 


mother,  needs  the  tenderest  guardianship.  At  best, 
the  case  is  hard  enough." 

Jasper  did  not  respond  to  this  humane  sentiment, 
for  there  was  no  pity  in  him.  The  waves  of  feeling, 
stirred  so  suddenly  a  few  hours  before,  had  all  sub- 
sided, and  the  surface  of  his  heart  bore  no  ripple  of 
emotion.  He  thought  not  of  the  child  as  an  object 
claiming  his  regard,  but  as  a  trouble  and  a  hinder- 
ance  thrown  in  his  way,  to  be  disposed  of  as  summa- 
rily as  possible. 

"  I'm  obliged  to  you,  Edward,  for  the  trouble  you 
have  taken  in  my  stead,"  he  remarked,  after  a  slight 
pause.  "  To-morrow,  I  may  wish  you  to  call  there 
again.  Of  course,  the  neighbours  will  give  needful 
attention  until  the  funeral  takes  place.  By  that 
time,  perhaps,  the  child  will  have  made  a  friend  of 
some  one  of  them,  and  secure,  through  this  means, 
a  home  for  the  present.  It  is,  for  us,  a  troublesome 
business  at  best,  though  it  will  soon  be  over." 

A  person  coming  in  at  the  moment,  Claire  left 
his  employer  to  attend  at  the  counter.  The  new 
customer,  it  was  quickly  perceived  by  the  clerk,  was 
one  who  might  readily  be  deceived  into  buying  the 
articles  for  which  she  inquired,  at  a  rate  far  in  ad- 
vance of  their  real  value ;  and  he  felt  instantly 
tempted  to  ask  her  a  very  high  price.  Readily,  for 
it  was  but  acting  from  habit,  did  he  yield  to  this 
temptation.  His  success  was  equal  to  his  wishes. 
The  woman,  altogether  unsuspicious  of  the  cheat 
practised  upon  her,  paid  for  her  purchases  the  sum 
of  ten  dollars  above  their  true  value.  She  lingered 
a  short  time  after  settling  her  bill,  and  made  some 
observation  upon  a  current  topic  of  the  day.  One 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  33 


or  two  casually-uttered  sentiments  did  not  fall  like 
refreshing  dew  upon  the  feelings  of  Claire,  but 
rather  stung  him  like  words  of  sharp  rebuke,  and 
made  him  half  regret  the  wrong  he  had  done  to  her. 
He  felt  relieved  when  she  retired. 

It  so  happened  that,  while  this  customer  was  in, 
Jasper  left  the  store.  Soon  after,  a  clerk  went  to 
dinner.  Only  a  lad  remained  with  Claire,  and  he 
was  sent  up-stairs  to  arrange  some  goods. 

The  hour  of  temptation  Had  again  come,  and  the 
young  man's  mind  was  overshadowed  by  the  powers 
of  darkness. 

"  Ten  dollars  clear  gain  on  that  transaction,"  said 
he  to  himself,  as  he  drew  open  the  money -drawer  in 
which  he  had  deposited  the  cash  paid  to  him  by  his 
late  customer. 

For  some  time  his  thoughts  were  busy,  while  his 
fingers  toyed  with  the  gold  and  bills  in  the  drawer. 
Two  five-dollar  pieces  were  included  in  the  payment 
just  received. 

"  Jasper,  surely,  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  one  of 
'these."  Thus  he  began  to  argue  with  himself.  "I 
drove  the  bargain ;  am  I  not  entitled  to  a  fair  pro- 
portion of  the  profit  ?  It  strikes  me  so.  What 
wrong  will  it  be  to  him  ?  Wrong  ?  Humph ! 
Wrong  ?  The  wrong  has  been  done  already ;  but 
it  falls  not  on  his  head. 

"  If  I  am  to  do  this  kind  of  work  for  him," — the 
feelings  of  Claire  now  commenced  running  in  a  more 
disturbed  channel ;  there  were  deep  contractions  on 
his  forehead,  and  his  lips  were  shut  firmly, — "  this 
kind  of  work,  I  must  have  a  share  of  the  benefit. 


34  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


If  I  am  to  sell  my  soul,  Leonard  Jasper  shall  not 
have  the  whole  price." 

Deliberately,  as  he  spoke  this  within  himself,  did 
Claire  take  from  the  drawer  a  five-dollar  gold  piece, 
and  thrust  it  into  his  pocket. 

"Mine,  not  his,"  were  the  words  with  which  he 
approved  the  act.  At  the  same  instant  Jasper  en- 
tered. The  young  man's  heart  gave  a  sudden  bound, 
and  there  was  guilt  in  his  face,  but  Jasper  did  not 
read  its  true  expression. 

"  Well,  Edward,"  said  he,  cheerfully,  "what  luck 
did  you  have  with  the  old  lady  ?  Did  she  make  a 
pretty  fair  bill  ?" 

"  So-so,"  returned  Claire,  with  affected  indiffer- 
ence ;  "  about  thirty  dollars." 

"Ah!  so  much?" 

"  Yes  ;  and,  what  is  better,  I  made  her  pay  pretty 
Strong.  She  was  from  the  country." 

"  That'll  do."  And  Jasper  rubbed  his  hands  to- 
gether energetically.  "  How  much  over  and  above 
a  fair  percentage  did  you  get  ?" 

"About  five  dollars." 

"  Good,  again  !     You're  a  trump,  Edward." 

If  Edward  Claire  was  relieved  to  find  that  no 
suspicion  had  been  awakened  in  the  thoughts  of 
Jasper,  he  did  not  feel  very  strongly  flattered  by 
his  approving  words.  The  truth  was,  at  the  very 
moment  he  was  relating  what  he  had  done,  there 
came  into  his  mind,  with  a  most  startling  distinct- 
ness, the  dream  of  his  wife,  and  the  painful  feelings 
it  had  occasioned. 

"  What  folly !  What  madness  !  Whither  am  I 
going  ?" 


WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS.  35 


These  were  Ms  thoughts  now,  born  of  a  quick  re- 
vulsion of  feeling. 

"  It  is  your  dinner-time,  Edward.  Get  back  as 
soon  as  possible.  I  want  to  be  home  a  little  earlier 
than  usual  to-day." 

Thus  spoke  Mr.  Jasper ;  and  the  young  man, 
taking  up  his  hat,  left  the  store.  He  had  never  felt 
so  strangely  in  his  life.  The  first  step  in  crime  had 
been  taken ;  he  had  fairly  entered  the  downward 
road  to  ruin.  Where  was  it  all  to  end  ?  Placing 
his  fingers,  almost  without  thought,  in  his  pocket, 
they  came  in  contact  with  the  gold-piece  obtained 
by  a  double  crime — the  robbery  both  of  a  customer 
and  his  employer.  Quickly,  as  if  he  had  touched  a 
living  coal,  was  the  hand  of  Claire  withdrawn,  while 
a  low  chill  crept  along  his  nerves.  It  required  some 
resolution  for  the  young  man  to  meet  his  pure- 
hearted,  clear-minded  wife,  whose  quick  intuitions 
of  good  or  evil  in  others  he  had  over  and  over  again 
been  led  to  remark.  Once,  as  he  moved  along,  he 
thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  with  the  suddenly- 
formed  purpose  of  casting  the  piece  of  money  from 
him,  and  thus  cancelling  his  guilt.  But,  ere  the 
act  was  accomplished,  he  remembered  that  in  this 
there  would  be  no  restoration,  and  so  refrained. 

Edward  Claire  felt,  while  in  the  presence  of  his 
young  wife,  that  she  often  looked  into  his  face  with 
more  than  usual  earnestness.  This  not  only  embar- 
rassed but  slightly  fretted  him,  and  led  him  to  speak 
once  in  a  way  that  brought  tears  to  her  eyes. 

Not  a  minute  longer  than  necessary  did  Claire 
remain  at  home.  The  fact  that  his  employer  had 
desired  him  to  return  to  the  store  as  quickly  as  pos- 


36  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


sible,  was  an  all-sufficient  reason  for  his  unusual 
hurry  to  get  away. 

The  moment  the  door  closed  upon  him,  his  wife 
burst  into  tears.  On  her  bosom  lay  a  most  oppres- 
sive weight,  and  in  her  mind  was  a  vague,  troubled 
sense  of  approaching  evil.  She  felt  that  there  was 
danger  in  the  path  of  her  husband ;  but  of  its  na- 
ture she  could  divine  little  or  nothing.  All  day 
her  dream  had  haunted  her ;  and  now  it  reproduced 
itself  in  her  imagination  with  painful  distinctness. 
Vainly  she  strove  to  drive  it  from  her  thoughts ;  it 
would  not  be  gone.  Slowly  the  hours  wore  on  for 
her,  until  the  deepening  twilight  brought  the  period 
when  her  husband  was  to  return  again.  To  this 
return  her  mind  looked  forward  with  an  anxiety 
that  could  not  be  repressed. 

The  dreaded  meeting  with  his  wife  over,  Claire 
thought  with  less  repugnance  of  what  he  had  done, 
and  was  rather  inclined  to  justify  than  condemn 
himself. 

"  It's  the  way  of  the  world,"  so  he  argued ;  "  and 
unless  I  do  as  the  world  does,  I  must  remain  where 
I  am — at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder.  But  why  should 
I  stay  below,  while  all  around  me  are  struggling  up- 
ward? As  for  what  preachers  and  moralists  call 
strictly  fair  dealing,  it  may  be  all  well  enough  in 
theory,  pleasant  to  talk  about,  and  all  that ;  but  it 
won't  do  in  practice,  as  the  world  now  is.  Where 
each  is  grasping  all  that  he  can  lay  his  hands  on, 
fair  or  foul,  one  must  scramble  with  the  rest,  or  get 
nothing.  That  is  so  plain  that  none  can  deny  the 
proposition.  So,  Edward  Claire,  if  you  wish  to  rise 
above  your  present  poor  condition,  if  you  wish  to 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  37 


get  rich,  like  your  enterprising  neighbours,  you 
must  do  as  they  do.  If  I  go  in  for  a  lamb,  I  might 
as  well  take  a  sheep :  the  morality  of  the  thing  is 
the  same.  If  I  take  a  large  slice  off  of  a  customer, 
why  shall  not  a  portion  of  that  slice  be  mine ;  ay, 
the  whole  of  it,  if  I  choose  to  make  the  appropria- 
tion ?  All  Jasper  can  fairly  ask,  is  a  reasonable 
profit :  if  I,  by  my  address,  get  more  than  this, 
surely  I  may  keep  a  part  thereof.  Who  shall  say 
nay?" 

Justifying  himself  by  these  and  similar  false  rea- 
sonings, the  young  man  thrust  aside  the  better  sug- 
gestions, from  which  he  was  at  first  inclined  to  re- 
trace the  false  step  he  had  taken ;  and  wilfully  shut- 
ting his  eyes,  resolved  to  go  forward  in  his  evil  and 
dangerous  course. 

During  the  afternoon  of  that  day  a  larger  num- 
ber of  customers  than  usual  were  in,  and  Claire  was 
very  busily  occupied.  He  made  three  or  four  large 
sales,  and  was  successful  in  getting  several  dollars 
in  excess  of  fair  profit  from  one  not  very  well  skilled 
in  prices.  In  making  an  entry  of  this  particular 
transaction  in  the  memorandum  sales-book,  the 
figures  recorded  were  three  dollars  less  than  the 
actual  amount  received.  So,  on  this,  the  first  day 
of  the  young  man's  lapse  from  honesty,  he  had  ap- 
propriated the  sum  of  eight  dollars — nearly  equal  to 
his  entire  week's  salary  !  For  such  a  recent  travel- 
ler in  this  downward  road,  how  rapid  had  already 
become  his  steps ! 

Evening  found  him  again  alone,  musing  and  de- 
bating with  himself,  ere  locking  up  the  store  and 
returning  home.  The  excitement  of  business  being 


38  TKUE  RICHES;  OR, 


over,  his  thoughts  flowed  in  a  calmer  current ;  and 
the  stillness  of  the  deserted  room  gave  to  his  feel- 
ings a  hue  of  sobriety.  He  was  not  altogether  satis- 
fied with  himself.  How  could  he  be  ?  No  man  ever 
was  satisfied  with  himself,  when  seclusion  and  silence 
found  him  after  his  first  departure  from  the  right 
way.  Ah,  how  little  is  there  in  worldly  'possessions, 
be  it  large  or  small,  to  compensate  for  a  troubled, 
self-accusing  spirit !  how  little  to  throw  in  the  ba- 
lance against  the  heavy  weight  of  conscious  villany  ! 

How  tenderly,  how  truly,  how  devotedly  had 
Edward  Claire  loved  the  young  wife  of  his  bosom, 
since  the  hour  the  pulses  of  their  spirits  first  beat 
in  joyful  unity  !  How  eager  had  he  ever  been  to 
turn  his  face  homeward  when  the  shadows  of  even- 
ing began  to  fall !  But  now  he  lingered — lingered, 
though  all  the  business  of  the  day  was  over.  The 
thought  of  his  wife  created  no  quick  impulse  to  be 
away.  He  felt  more  like  shunning  her  presence. 
He  even  for  a  time  indulged  a  motion  of  anger  to- 
ward her  for  what  he  mentally  termed  her  morbid 
sensitiveness  in  regard  to  others'  right — her  dreamy 
ideal  of  human  perfection. 

"We  are  in  the  world,  and  we  must  do  as  it 
does.  We  must  take  it  as  it  is,  not  as  it  should 
be." 

So  he  mused  with  himself,  in  a  self-approving  ar- 
gument. Yet  he  could  not  banish  the  accusing 
spirit ;  he  could  not  silence  the  inward  voice  of 
warning. 

Once  there  came  a  strong  revulsion.  Good  im- 
pulses seemed  about  to  gain  the  mastery.  In  this 
state  of  mind,  he  took  from  his  pocket  his  ill-gotten 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS. 


gains,  and  threw  them  into  the  money-box,  which 
had  already  been  placed  in  the  fire-closet. 

"What  good  will  that  do  ?"  said  he  to  himself, 
as  the  wave  of  better  feelings  began  to  subside. 
"All  the  sales-entries  have  been  made,  and  the 
cash  balanced ;  Jasper  made  the  balance  himself. 
So  the  cash  will  only  show  an  excess  to  be  accounted 
for ;  and  from  this  may  come  suspicion.  It  is  always 
more  hazardous  to  go  backward  than  forward — 
(false  reasoner  !) — to  retrace  our  steps  than  to  press 
boldly  onward.  No,  no.  This  will  not  mend  the 
matter." 

And  Claire  replaced  the  money  in  his  pocket.  In 
a  little  while  afterward,  he  left  the  store,  and  took 
his  way  homeward. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

As  on  the  previous  evening,  Mrs.  Claire  was 
alone  for  some  time  later  than  usual,  but  now  with 
an  anxious,  almost  fearful  looking  for  her  husband's 
return.  Suddenly  she  had  taken  the  alarm.  A 
deep,  brooding  shadow  was  on  her  heart,  though 
she  could  not  see  the  bird  of  night  from  whose 
wings  it  had  fallen.  Frequently,  during  the  after- 
noon, tears  had  wet  her  cheek ;  and  when  an  old 
friend  of  her  mother's,  who  lived  in  the  country, 
and  who  had  come  to  the  city  in  order  to  make  a 
few  purchases,  called  to  see  her,  it  was  with  dim- 


40  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


culty  she  could  hide  her  disturbed  feelings  from 
observation. 

The  absent  one  came  in  at  last,  and  with  so  much 
of  the  old,  frank,  loving  spirit  in  his  voice  and  man- 
ner, that  the  troubled  heart  of  Mrs.  Claire  beat  with 
freer  pulsations.  And  yet  something  about  her  hus- 
band appeared  strange.  There  was  a  marked  dif- 
ference between  his  state  of  mind  now,  and  on  the 
evening  before.  Even  at  dinner-time  he  was  silent 
and  abstracted. 

In  fact,  Edward  Claire  was,  for  the  first  time, 
acting  a  part  toward  his  wife ;  and,  as  in  all  such 
cases,  there  was  sufficient  over-action  to  betray  the 
artifice,  or,  at  least,  to  awaken  a  doubt.  Still, 
Edith  was  greatly  relieved  by  the  change,  and  she 
chided  herself  for  having  permitted  doubt  and  vague 
questionings  to  find  a  harbour  in  her  thoughts. 

During  tea-time,  Claire  chatted  freely,  as  was  his 
custom ;  but  he  grew  serious  as  they  sat  together, 
after  the  table  was  cleared  away,  and  Edith  had 
taken  her  sewing.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  he 
thought  out  of  himself  sufficiently  to  remember  his 
visit  to  the  house  of  death  in  the  morning,  and  he 
said — 

"  I  witnessed  something  this  morning,  dear,  that 
has  made  me  feel  sad  ever  since." 

"What  was  that,  Edward?"  inquired  the  wife, 
looking  instantly  into  his  face,  with  a  strongly 
manifested  interest. 

"  I  don't  think  you  knew  Mr.  Elder  or  his  family 
—Ruben  Elder  ?" 

"  I  have  heard  the  name,  nothing  more." 

"Mr.  Elder  died  last  week." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  41 


"  Ah  !     What  family  did  he  leave  ?" 

"  A  wife  and  one  child." 

Mrs.  Claire  sighed. 

"Did  he  leave  them  comfortably  off  in  the 
world  ?"  she  asked,  after  a  brief  silence. 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  I'm  afraid  he's  not  left 
much,  if  any  thing.  Mr.  Jasper  has  been  appointed 
the  executor." 

"Mr.  Jasper !" 

"  Yes.  This  morning  he  called  to  see  Mrs.  Elder, 
and  found  her  in  a  very  low  state.  In  fact,  she  died 
while  he  was  there." 

"Edward!     Died?" 

"  Yes,  died ;  and  her  only  child,  a  sweet  little 
girl,  not  five  years  old,  is  now  a  friendless  orphan." 

"How  very  sad !" 

"  Sad  enough,  Edith,  sad  enough.  Mr.  Jasper, 
who  has  no  taste  for  scenes  of  distress,  wished  me 
to  look  after  the  funeral  arrangements ;  so  I  went 
to  the  house,  and  attended  to  matters  as  well  as  I 
could.  Ah  me  !  It  has  cast  a  gloom  over  my  feel- 
ings that  I  find  it  hard  to  cast  off." 

"Did  you  see  the  child?"  inquired  Mrs.  Claire, 
the  mother's  impulse  giving  direction  to  her 
thoughts. 

'  Yes ;  and  a  lovely  child  it  is.     Poor  thing  !" 
'  There  are  near  relatives,  I  presume  ?" 
'None;  at  least,  so  Jasper  says." 
*  What  is  to  become  of  the  child  ?" 
'  Dear  above  knows  !    As  for  her  legal  guardian, 
she  has  nothing  to  hope  from  his  humanity.     She 
will  naturally  find  a  home  somewhere — a  home  pro- 
cured for  money.    But  her  future  comfort  and  well- 
4* 


42  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 

being  will  depend  more  on  a  series  of  nappy  acci- 
dents than  on  the  good-will  of  the  hard-hearted 
man  to  whose  tender  mercies  the  dying  parents 
have  committed  her." 

"Not  happy  accidents,  Edward,"  said  Mrs.  Claire, 
with  a  tender  smile ;  "  say,  wise  providences.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  chance." 

"As  you  will,  dear,"  returned  the  husband,  with 
a  slight  change  in  his  tone.  "  I  would  not  call  that 
providence  wise  by  which  Leonard  Jasper  became 
the  guardian  of  a  friendless  child." 

"This  is  because  you  cannot  see  the  end  from  the 
beginning,  Edward.  The  Lord's  providence  does 
not  regard  merely  the  external  comfort  and  well- 
being  of  his  creatures ;  it  looks  far  beyond  this,  and 
regards  their  internal  interests.  It  permits  evil 
and  suffering  to-day,  but  only  that  goodj  a  higher 
than  earthly  good,  may  come  on  the  morrow.  It 
was  no  blind  chance,  believe  me,  my  husband,  that 
led  to  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Jasper  as  the  guard- 
ian of  this  poor  child.  Eternal  purposes  are  in- 
volved therein,  as  surely  as  God  is  infinitely  wise 
and  good.  Good  to  one,  perhaps  to  many,  will 
grow  out  of  what  now  seems  a  deeply  to  be  regretted 
circumstance." 

"  You're  a  happy  reasoner,  Edith.  I  wish  I  could 
believe  in  so  consoling  a  philosophy." 

"  Edward !"  There  was  a  change  in  Mrs.  Claire's 
voice,  and  a  look  blending  surprise  with  a  gentle 
rebuke  in  her  countenance.  "Edward,  how  can 
you  speak  so?  Is  not  mine  the  plain  Christian 
doctrine  ?  Is  it  not  to  be  found  everywhere  in  the 
Bible?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  43 


"  Doubtless,  Edith ;  but  I'm  not  one  of  the  pious 
kind,  you  know." 

Claire  forced  a  smile  to  his  face,  but  his  wife 
looked  serious,  and  remarked — 

"  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  talk  so,  Edward.  There 
is  in  it,  to  me,  something  profane.  Ah,  my  dear 
husband,  in  this  simple  yet  all-embracing  doctrine 
of  providence  lies  the  whole  secret  of  human  happi- 
ness. If  our  Creator  be  infinite,  wise,  and  good, 
he  will  seek  the  well-being  of  his  creatures,  even 
though  they  turn  from  him  to  do  violence  to  his 
laws ;  and,  in  his  infinite  love  and  wisdom,  will  so 
order  and  arrange  events  as  to  make  every  thing 
conspire  to  the  end  in  view.  Both  bodily  and  men- 
tal suffering  are  often  permitted  to  take  place,  as 
the  only  agencies  by  which  to  counteract  hereditary 
evils  that  would  otherwise  destroy  the  soul." 

"Ah,  Edie  !  Edie  !"  said  Claire,  interrupting  his 
wife,  in  a  fond,  playful  tone,  "you  are  a  wise 
preacher,  and  as  good  as  you  are  wise.  I  only 
wish  that  I  could  see  and  feel  as  you  do ;  no  doubt 
it  would  be  better  for  me  in  the  end.  But  such  a 
wish  is  vain." 

"  Oh,  say  not  so,  dear  husband !"  exclaimed 
Edith,  with  unexpected  earnestness ;  "  say  not  so  ! 
It  hurts  me  almost  like  words  of  personal  unkind- 
ness." 

"  But  how  can  I  be  as  good  as  you  are  ?  It  isn't 
in  me." 

"  I  am  not  good,  Edward.  There  is  none  good 
but  God,"  answered  the  wife  solemnly. 

"Oh  yes,  yes!      You  are  an  angel!"  returned 


44  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


Claire,  with  a  sudden  emotion  that  he  could  not 
control.  "  And  I — and  I" 

He  checked  himself,  turned  his  face  partly  away 
to  conceal  its  expression,  sat  motionless  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  burying  his  face  on  the  bosom  of 
his  wife,  sobbed  for  the  space  of  nearly  a  minute, 
overcome  by  a  passion  that  he  in  vain  struggled  to 
master. 

Never  had  Edith  seen  her  husband  so  moved. 
No  wonder  that  she  was  startled,  even  frightened. 

"Oh,  Edward,  dear  Edward!  what  ails  you?" 
were  her  eager,  agitated  words,  so  soon  as  she  could 
speak.  "  What  has  happened  ?  Oh,  tell  me,  my 
husband,  my  dear  husband!" 

But  Claire  answered  not,  though  he  was  gaining 
some  control  over  his  feelings. 

"  Oh,  Edward !  won't  you  speak  to  me  ?  Won't 
you  tell  me  all  your  troubles,  all  your  heart  ?  Am 
I  not  your  wife,  and  do  I  not  love  you  with  a  love 
no  words  can  express  ?  Am  I  not  your  best  and 
closest  friend  ?  Would  I  not  even  lay  down  my  life 
for  your  good  ?  Dear  Edward,  what  has  caused  this 
great  emotion  ?" 

Thus  urged,  thus  pleaded  the  tearful  Edith.  But 
there  was  no  reply,  though  the  strong  tremor  which 
had  thrilled  through  the  frame  of  Claire  had  sub- 
sided. He  was  still  bowed  forward,  with  his  face 
hid  on  her  bosom,  while  her  arm  was  drawn 
lovingly  around  him.  So  they  remained  for  a 
time  longer.  At  length,  the  young  man  lifted 
himself  up,  and  fixed  his  eyes  upon  her.  His 
countenance  was  pale  and  sad,  and  bore  traces  of 
intense  suffering. 


vv 

WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  45 


"My  husband!  my  dear  husband!"  murmured 
Edith. 

"  My  wife !  my  good  angel !"  was  the  low,  thrill- 
ing response ;  and  Claire  pressed  his  lips  almost 
reverently  upon  the  brow  of  his  wife. 

"  I  have  had  a  fearful  dream,  Edith !"  said  he ; 
"  a  very  fearful  dream.  Thank  God,  I  am  awake 
now." 

"  A  dream,  Edward  ?"  returned  his  wife,  not  fully 
comprehending  him. 

"  Yes,  love,  a  dream ;  yet  far  too  real.  Surely,  I 
dreamed,  or  was  under  some  dire  enchantment.  But 
the  spell  is  gone — gone,  I  trust,  for  ever." 

"  What  spell,  love  ?  Oh,  speak  to  me  a  plainer 
language !" 

"I  think,  Edith,"  said  the  young  man,  after  re- 
maining thoughtfully  silent  for  some  time,  "that  I 
will  try  and  get  another  place.  I  don't  believe 
it  is  good  for  me  to  live  with  Leonard  Jasper. 
Gold  is  the  god  he  worships ;  and  I  find  myself 
daily  tempted  to  bend  my  knee  in  the  same 
idolatry." 

"  Edward !"  A  shadow  had  fallen  on  the  face  of 
Edith. 

"You  look  troubled  at  my  words,  Edith,"  re- 
sumed the  young  man ;  "  yet  what  I  say  is  true, 
too  true.  I  wish  it  were  not  so.  Ah  !  this  passage 
through  the  world,  hard  and  toilsome  as  it  is,  has 
many,  many  dangers." 

"If  we  put  our  trust  in  God,  we  need  have  no 
fear,"  said  Edith,  in  a  gentle  yet  earnest  and  pene- 
trating voice,  laying  her  hand  lovingly  on  the  hot 
forehead  of  her  husband,  and  gazing  into  his  eyes. 


46  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  Nothing  without  can  harm  us.  Our  worst  ene- 
mies are  within." 

"  Within  ?" 

"  Yes,  love ;  within  our  hosoms.  Into  our  dis- 
trusts and  unsatisfied  desires  they  enter,  and  tempt 
us  to  evil." 

"  True,  true,"  said  Claire,  in  an  abstracted  man- 
lier, and  as  if  speaking  to  himself. 

"What  more  do  we  want  to  make  us  happy?" 
asked  Edith,  comprehending  still  more  clearly  her 
husband's  state  of  mind. 

Claire  sighed  deeply,  but  made  no  answer. 

"More  money  could  not  do  it,"  she  added. 

"Money  would  procure  us  many  comforts  that 
we  do  not  now  possess,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  I  doubt  this,  Edward.  It  might  give  more  of 
the  elegancies  of  life ;  but,  as  I  have  often  said, 
these  do  not  always  produce  corresponding  pleasure. 
If  they  come,  without  too  ardent  seeking,  in  the 
good  pleasure  of  Providence,  as  the  reward  of  use- 
ful and  honest  labour,  then  they  may  increase  the 
delights  of  life ;  but  never  otherwise.  If  the  heart 
is  set  on  them,  their  acquirement  will  surely  end  in 
disappointment.  Possession  will  create  satiety ;  and 
the  mind  too  quickly  turns  from  the  good  it  has 
toiled  for  in  hope  so  long,  to  fret  itself  because 
there  is  an  imagined  higher  good  beyond.  Believe 
me,  Edwa'rd,  if  we  are  not  satisfied  with  what 
God  gives  us  as  the  reward  of  useful  toil  to-day, 
we  will  not  be  satisfied  with  what  he  gives  to- 
morrow." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  Edith ;  I  believe  you  are. 
My  mind  has  a  glimpse  of  the  truth,  but  to  fully  real- 


WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS.  47 


ize  it  is  hard.  Ah,  I  wish  that  I  possessed  more  of 
your  trusting  spirit !" 

"  We  are  both  cared  for,  Edward,  by  the  same  in- 
finite love — cared  for,  whether  we  doubt  and  fear, 
or  trust  confidingly." 

"  It  must  be  so.  I  see  it  now,  I  feel  it  now — see 
it  and  feel  it  in  the  light  of  your  clearer  intuitions. 
Ah,  how  different  from  this  pure  faith  is  the  faith 
of  the  world  !  Men  worship  gold  as  their  god ;  they 
trust  only  in  riches."  ^  ,  . 

"  And  their  god  is  ever  mocking  them.  To-day 
he  smiles  upon  his  votary,  and  to-morrow  hides  his 
face  in  darkness.  To-day  he  gives  full  coffers,  that 
are  empty  to-morrow.  But  the  true  riches  offered 
so  freely  to  all  by  the  living  God  are  blessed  both 
in  the  getting  and  in  the  keeping.  These  never 
produce  satiety,  never  take  to  themselves  wings. 
Good  affections  and  true  thoughts  continually  nou- 
rish and  re-create  the  mind.  They  are  the  soul's 
wealth,  the  perennial  fountains  of  all  true  enjoy- 
ment. With  these,  and  sufficient  for  the  body's 
health  and  comfort,  all  may  be  happy :  without 
them,  the  riches  of  the  world  have  no  power  to 
satisfy." 

A  pause  ensued,  during  which  the  minds  of  both 
wandered  back  a  little. 

"  If  you  feel,"  said  Edith,  recalling  the  words  of 
her  husband,  "  that  there  is  danger  in  remaining 
where  you  are" 

"That  was  hastily  spoken,"  Edward  Claire  inter- 
rupted his  wife,  "  and  in  a  moment  of  weakness.  I 
must  resist  the  evil  that  assaults  me.  I  must  strive 
with  and  overcome  the  tempter.  I  must  think  less 


48  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


of  this  world  and  its  riches ;  and  in  my  thoughts 
place  a  higher  value  upon  the  riches  without  wings 
of  which  you  have  spoken  to  me  so  often.". 

"  Can  you  remain  where  you  are,  and  be  out  of 
danger?"  asked  Edith. 

"There  is  danger  everywhere." 

"  Ay ;  but  in  some  positions  more  imminent  dan- 
ger. Is  it  well  to  court  temptation  ?" 

"  Perhaps  not.  But  I  cannot  afford  to  give  up 
my  place  with  Jasper." 

"Yet,  while  remaining,  you  will  be  strongly 
tempted." 

"Jasper  is  dishonest  at  heart.  He  is  ever  trying 
to  overreach  in  dealing,  and  expects  every  one  in 
his  employment  to  be  as  keen  as  himself." 

"  Oh,  Edward,  do  not  remain  with  him  a  day 
longer !  There  is  death  to  the  spirit  in  the  very 
atmosphere  around  such  a  man.  You  cannot  serve 
such  a  master,  and  be  true  to  yourself  and  to  God. 
It  is  impossible." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right  in  that,  Edith ;  I  know 
you  are  right,"  said  the  young  man,  with  a  strong 
emphasis  on  the  last  sentence.  "  But  what  am  I 
to  do  ?  Five  hundred  dollars  a  year  is  little  enough 
for  our  wants ;  I  have,  as  you  know,  been  dissatis- 
fied with  that.  I  can  hardly  get  as  much  in  another 
situation.  I  know  of  but  one  opening,  and  that  is 
with  Melleville." 

"  Go  back  to  him,  Edward,"  said  his  wife. 

"  And  get  but  four  hundred  a  year  ?  It  is  all  he 
can  pay." 

"  If  but  three  hundred,  it  were  a  situation  far  to 
be  preferred  to  the  one  you  now  hold." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  49 


"  A  hundred  dollars  a  year,  Edith,  taken  from  our 
present  income,  would  deprive  us  of  many  comforts." 

"  Think  of  how  much  we  would  gain  in  true  in- 
ward enjoyment,  Edward,  by  such  a  change.  Have 
you  grown  happier  since  you  entered  the  store  of 
Mr.  Jasper?" 

The  young  man  shook  his  head  sadly,  and  mur- 
mured, "Alas !  no." 

"  Can  any  thing  compensate  for  the  anguish  of  mind 
we  have  both  suffered  in  the  last  few  hours,  Edward  ?" 

Thej;e  was  a  quick  flushing  of  the  face,  as  Edith 
said  this. 

"  Both  suffered  !"  exclaimed  Edward,  with  a  look 
of  surprise. 

"  Ay,  both,  love.  Can  the  heart  of  my  husband 
feel  a  jar  of  discord,  and  mine  not  thrill  painfully  ? 
Can  he  be  in  temptation,  without  an  overshadowing 
of  my  spirit  ?  Can  he  be  in  darkness,  and  I  at  the 
same  time  in  light  ?  No,  no ;  that  were  impossible. 
You  have  been  in  great  peril ;  I  knew  that  some 
evil  threatened  you,  even  before  you  confessed  it 
with  your  lips.  Oh,  Edward,  we  have  both  tasted, 
in  the  last  few  hours,  a  bitterer  cup  than  has  yet 
been  placed  to  our  lips.  May  we  not  be  called  upon 
to  drink  it  to  the  very  dregs  !" 

"  Amen  !"  fell  solemnly  from  the  lips  of  Edward 
Claire,  as  a  cold  shudder  crept  along  his  nerves. 
If  there  had  been  any  wavering  in  his  mind  before, 
there  was  none  now.  He  resolved  to  make  restitu- 
tion in  the  morning,  and,  as  soon  as  opportunity 
offered,  to  leave  a  place  where  he  was  so  strongly 
tempted  to  step  aside  from  the  path  of  integrity. 
The  virtue  of  his  wife  had  saved  him. 

5 


50  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


CHAPTER  V. 

"EDWARD,"  said  Mr.  Jasper,  on  the  next  morn- 
ing, soon  after  he  came  to  the  store,  "  Was  any  time 
fixed  for  the  funeral  yesterday?" 

"  I  believe  not." 

"  That  was  an  oversight.  It  might  as  well  take 
place  to-day  as  to-morrow,  or  a  week  hence,  if  there 
are  no  intimate  friends  or  relatives  to  be  thought  of 
or  consulted.  I  wish  you  would  take  the  forenoon 
to  see  about  this  troublesome  matter.  The  under- 
taker will,  of  course,  do  every  thing  according  to 
your  directions.  .Let  there  be  as  little  expense  as 
possible." 

While  they  were  yet  speaking,  the  undertaker 
came  in  to  make  inquiry  as  to  the  funeral  arrange- 
ments to  be  observed. 

"Is  the  coffin  ready  ?"  asked  Jasper,  in  a  cold, 
business  manner. 

"It  is,"  was  the  reply. 

"  What  of  the  ground  ?  Did  you  see  to  her  hus- 
band's funeral  ?" 

"Yes.  I  have  attended  to  all  these  matters. 
Nothing  remains  but  to  fix  the  time,  and  notify  the 
clergyman." 

"Were  you  at  the  house  this  morning?"  asked 
Jasper. 

"I  was." 

"  Who  did  you  find  there  ?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  51 


"  One  or  two  of  the  neighbours  were  in." 

"No  near  relatives  of  the  deceased?" 

"Not  to  my  knowledge." 

"  Was  any  thing  said  about  the  time  for  burying 
Mrs.  Elder?" 

' '  No.    That  matter,  I  suppose,  will  rest  with  you. ' ' 

"In  that  case,  I  see  no  reason  for  delay,"  said 
Jasper.  "What  end  is  served?" 

"The  sooner  it  is  over  the  better." 

"  So  I  think.     Suppose  we  say  this  afternoon  ?" 

"  Very  well.  The  time  might  be  fixed  at  five.  The 
graveyard  is  not  very  distant.  How  many  carriages 
shall  I  order?" 

"Not  many.  Two,  I  should  think,  would  be 
enough,"  replied  Jasper.  "There  will  not  be  much 
left,  I  presume  ;  therefore,  the  lighter  the  funeral  ex- 
penses the  better.  By  the  way,  did  you  see  the 
child,  when  you  were  there  this  morning  ?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Some  neighbour  has,  in  all  probability,  taken  it." 

"Very  likely.     It  is  a  beautiful  child." 

"  Yes — rather  pretty,"  was  Jasper's  cold  response. 

"  So  young  to  be  left  alone  in  the  world.  Ah, 
me  !  But  these  things  will  happen.  So,  you  decide 
to  have  the  funeral  at  five  this  afternoon  ?" 

"  Yes ;  unless  something  that  we  do  not  now  know 
of,  interferes  to  prevent.  The  quicker  a  matter  like 
this  is  over  the  better." 

"  True.     Very  well." 

"  You  will  see  to  every  thing  ?" 

"  Certainly ;  that  is  my  business.  Will  you  be  at 
the  house  this  afternoon  i" 

"  At  the  time  of  the  funeral  ?" 


52  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Yes." 

"I  think  not.     I  can't  do  any  good." 

"  No, — only  for  the  looks  of  the  thing." 

The  undertaker  was  already  beginning  to  feel  the 
heartless  indifference  of  Jasper,  and  his  last  remark 
was  half  in  irony,  half  in  smothered  contempt. 

"Looks!  Oh!  I  never  do  any  thing  for  looks. 
If  I  can  be  of  any  service,  I  will  be  there — but,  if  not, 
not.  I'm  a  right  up-and-down,  straight-forward  man 
of  the  world,  you  see." 

The  undertaker  bowed,  saying  that  all  should  be 
as  he  wished. 

"You  can  step  around  there,  after  a  while,  Ed- 
ward," said  Jasper,  as  soon  as  the  undertaker  had 
retired.  "When  you  go,  I  wish  you  would  ascer- 
tain, particularly,  what  has  been  done  with  the  child. 
If  a  neighbour  has  taken  her  home,  make  inquiry  as 
to  whether  she  will  be  retained  in  the  family ;  or, 
better  still,  adopted.  You  can  hint,  in  a  casual  way, 
you  know,  that  her  parents  have  left  property,  which 
may,  some  time  or  other,  be  valuable.  This  may  be 
a  temptation,  and  turn  the  scale  in  favour  of  adop- 
tion ;  which  may  save  me  a  world  of  trouble  and  re- 
sponsibility." 

"There  is  some  property  left?"  remarked  Claire. 

"  A  small  house  or  two,  and  a  bit  of  worthless 
land  in  the  mountains.  All,  no  doubt,  mortgaged 
within  a  trifle  of  their  value.  Still,  it's  property 
you  know  ;  and  the  word  '  property'  has  a  very  at- 
tractive sound  in  some  people's  ears." 

A  strong  feeling  of  disgust  toward  Jasper  swelled 
in  the  young  man's  heart,  but  he  guarded  against  its 
expression  in  look  or  words. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  53 


A  customer  entering  at  the  moment,  Claire  left 
his  principal  and  moved  down  behind  the  counter. 
He  was  not  very  agreeably  affected,  as  the  lady  ap- 
proached him,  to  see  in  her  the  person  from  whom 
he  had  taken  ten  dollars  on  the  previous  day,  in  ex- 
cess of  a  reasonable  profit.  Her  serious  face  warned 
him  that  she  had  discovered  the  cheat. 

"  Are  you  the  owner  of  this  store  ?"  she  asked,  as 
she  leaned  upon  the  counter,  and  fixed  her  mild,  yet 
steady  eyes,  upon  the  young  man's  face. 

"  I  am  not,  ma'am,"  replied  Claire,  forcing  a 
smile  as  he  spoke.  "Didn't  I  sell  you  a  lot  of  goods 
yesterday  ?" 

"  You  did,  sir." 

"I  thought  I  recognised  you.  Well,  ma'am, 
there  was  an  error  in  your  bill — an  overcharge." 

"  So  I  should  think." 

"An  overcharge  of  five  dollars." 

Claire,  while  he  affected  an  indifferent  manner, 
leaned  over  toward  the  woman  and  spoke  in  a  low 
tone  of  voice.  Inwardly,  he  was  trembling  lest 
Jasper  should  became  cognizant  of  what  was  passing. 

"  Will  you  take  goods  for  what  is  due  you ;  or 
shall  I  hand  you  back  the  money  ?"  said  he. 

"As  I  have  a  few  more  purchases  to  make,  I  may 
as  well  take  goods,"  was  replied,  greatly  to  the 
young  man's  relief. 

"  What  shall  I  show  you,  ma'am  ?"  he  asked,  in  a 
voice  that  now  reached  the  attentive  ears  of  Jasper, 
who  had  been  wondering  to  himself  as  to  what  was 
passing  between  the  clerk  and  customer. 

A  few  articles  were  mentioned,  and,  in  a  little 
while,  another  bill  of  seven  dollars  was  made. 
5* 


54  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"lam  to  pay  you  two  dollars,  I  believe?"  said 
the  lady,  after  Claire  had  told  her  how  much  the 
articles  came  to.  As  she  said  this,  Jasper  was  close 
by  and  heard  the  remark. 

"Right,  ma'am,"  answered  the  clerk. 

The  customer  laid  a  ten-dollar  bill  on  the  counter. 
Claire  saw  that  the  eyes  of  Jasper  were  on  him.  He 
took  it  up,  placed  it  in  the  money-drawer,  and  stood 
some  time  fingering  over  the  change  and  small  bills. 
Then,  with  his  back  turned  toward  Jasper,  he 
slipped  a  five  dollar  goldpiece  from  his  pocket.  This, 
with  a  three  dollar  bill  from  the  drawer,  he  gave  to 
the  lady,  who  received  her  change  and  departed. 

Other  customers  coming  in  at  the  moment,  both 
Jasper  and  his  clerk  were  kept  busy  for  the  next 
hour.  When  they  were  alone  again,  the  former 
said — 

*'  How  large  a  bill  did  you  sell  the  old  lady  from 
the  country,  who  was  in  this  morning  ?" 

'  The  amount  was  seven  dollars,  I  believe." 

'  I  thought  she  said  two  dollars  ?" 

'  She  gave  me  a  ten-dollar  bill,  and  I  only  took 
three  from  the  drawer,"  said  the  young  man. 

'  I  thought  you  gave  her  a  piece  of  gold  ?" 

'  There  was  no  gold  in  the  drawer,"  was  replied, 
evasively. 

Much  to  the  relief  of  Claire,  another  customer  en- 
tered, thus  putting  an  end  to  the  conference  between 
him  and  Jasper. 

The  mind  of  the  latter,  ever  suspicious,  was  not 
altogether  satisfied.  He  was  almost  sure  that  two 
dollars  was  the  price  named  for  the  goods,  and  that 
he  had  seen  a  gold  coin  offered  in  change.  And  he 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  55 

took  occasion  to  refer  to  it  at  the  next  opportunity, 
when  his  clei'k's  positive  manner,  backed  by  the  en- 
try of  seven  dollars  on  the  sales'  book,  silenced  him. 

As  for  Claire,  this  act  of  restitution,  so  far  as  it 
was  in  his  power  to  make  it,  took  from  his  mind  a 
heavy  burden.  He  had,  still,  three  dollars  in  his 
possession  that  were  not  rightfully  his  own.  It  was 
by  no  means  probable  that  a  similar  opportunity  to 
the  one  just  embraced  would  occur.  What  then 
was  it  best  for  him  to  do  ?  This  question  was  soon 
after  decided,  by  his  throwing  the  money  into  the 
cash-drawer  of  Jasper. 

On  his  way  home  to  dinner  that  day,  Claire  called 
into  the  store  of  a  Mr.  Melleville,  referred  to  in  the 
conversation  with  his  wife  on  the  previous  evening. 
This  gentleman,  who  was  somewhat  advanced  in 
years,  was  in  the  same  business  with  Jasper.  He 
was  known  as  a  strictly  upright  dealer — "  Too  ho- 
nest to  get  along  in  this  world,"  as  some  said.  "  Old 
Stick-in-the-mud,"  others  called  him.  "A  man  be- 
hind the  times,"  as  the  new-comers  in  the  trade  were 
pleased  to  say.  Claire  had  lived  with  him  for  some 
years,  and  left  him  on  the  offer  of  Jasper  to  give  him 
a  hundred  dollars  more  per  annum  than  he  was 
getting. 

"Ah,  Edward!  How  do  you  do  to-day?"  said 
Mr.  Melleville,  kindly,  as  the  young  man  came  in. 

"Very  well  in  body,  but  not  so  well  in  mind," 
was  the  frank  reply,  as  he  took  the  proffered  hand 
of  his  old  employer. 

"  Not  well  in  mind,  ah!  That's  about  the  worst 
kind  of  sickness  I  know  of,  Edward.  What's  the 
matter?" 


56  TRUE   RICHES  ;   OR, 


"As  I  have  dropped  in  to  talk  with  you  a  little 
about-  my  own  affairs,  I  will  come  at  once  to  the 
point." 

"  That  is  right.  Speak  out  plainly,  Edward,  and 
you  will  find  in  me,  at  least,  a  sincere  friend,  and 
an  honest  adviser.  What  is  the  matter  now?" 

"  I  don't  like  my  present  situation,  Mr.  Melle- 
ville !" 

"Ah!  Well?  What's  the  trouble?  Have  you 
and  Jasper  had  a  misunderstanding  ?" 

"  Oh  no !  Nothing  of  that.  We  get  on  well  enough 
together.  But  I  don't  think  its  a  good  place  for 
a  young  man  to  be  in,  sir  !" 

"Why  not?" 

"  I  can  be  plain  with  you.  In  a  word,  Mr.  Jas- 
per is  not  an  honest  dealer;  and  he  expects  his 
clerks  to  do  pretty  much  as  he  does." 

Mr.  Melleville  shook  his  head  and  looked  grave. 

"To  tell  the  truth,"  continued  Edward,  "I  have 
suffered  myself  to  fall,  almost  insensibly,  into  his 
way  of  doing  business,  until  I  have  become  an  abso- 
lute cheat — taking,  sometimes,  double  and  treble 
profit  from  a  customer  who  happened  to  be  ignorant 
about  prices." 

"Edward!"  exclaimed  the  old  man,  an  expres- 
sion of  painful  surprise  settling  on  his  countenance. 

"  It  is  all  too  true,  Mr.  Melleville — all  too  true. 
And  I  don't  think  it  good  for  me  to  remain  with 
Mr.  Jasper." 

"  What  does  he  give  you  now  ?" 

"  The  same  as  at  first.     Five  hundred  dollars." 

The  old  man  bent  his  head  and  thought  for  a 
few  moments. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  57 

"  His  system  of  unfair  dealing  toward  his  cus- 
tomers is  your  principal  objection  to  Mr.  Jasper  ?" 

"  That  is  one  objection,  and  a  very  serious  one, 
too :  particularly  as  I  am  required  to  be  as  unjust 
to  customers  as  himself.  But  there  is  still  another 
reason  why  I  wish  to  get  away  from  this  situation. 
Mr.  Jasper  seems  to  think  and  care  for  nothing  but 
money-getting.  In  his  mind,  gold  is  the  highest  good. 
To  a  far  greater  extent  than  I  was,  until  very  re- 
cently, aware,  have  I  fallen,  by  slow  degrees,  into 
his  way  of  thinking  and  feeling ;  until  I  have  grown 
dissatisfied  with  my  position.  Temptation  has  come, 
as  a  natural  result ;  and,  before  I  dreamed  that  my 
feet  were  wandering  from  the  path  of  safety,  I  have 
found  myself  on  the  brink  of  a  fearful  precipice." 

"My  dear  young  friend!"  said  Mr.  Melleville, 
visibly  moved,  "  this  is  dreadful !" 

"  It  is  dreadful.  I  can  scarcely  realize  that  it  is 
so,"  replied  Claire,  also  exhibiting  emotion. 

"  You  ought  not  to  remain  in  the  employment  of 
Leonard  Jasper.  That,  at  least,  is  plain.  Better,  far 
better,  to  subsist  on  bread  and  water,  than  to  live 
sumptuously  on  the  ill-gotten  gold  of  such  a  man." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Mr.  Melleville,  I  feel  all  the  truth  of 
what  you  affirm,  and  am  resolved  to  seek  for  ano- 
ther place.  Did  you  not  say,  when  we  parted  two 
years  ago,  that  if  ever  I  wished  to  return,  you  would 
endeavour  to  make  an  opening  for  me?" 

"I  did,  Edward;  and  can  readily  bring  you  in 
now,  as  one  of  my  young  men  is  going  to  leave  me 
for  a  higher  salary  than  I  can  afford  to  pay.  There 
is  one  drawback,  however." 

"  What  is  that,  Mr.  Melleville?" 


58  ¥BUE  RICHES;  OR, 

"  The  salary  will  be  only  four  hundred  dollars  a 
year." 

"  I  shall  expect  no  more  from  you." 

"  But  can  you  live  on  that  sum  now  ?  Remem- 
ber, that  you  have  been  receiving  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  that  your  wants  have  been  graduated  by 
your  rate  of  income.  Let  me  ask — have  you  saved 
any  thing  since  you  were  married?" 

"Nothing."    .^ 

"  So  much  the  worse.  You  will  find  it  difficult 
to  fall  back  upon  a  reduced  salary.  How  far  can 
you  rely  on  your  wife's  co-operation  ?" 

"  To  the  fullest  extent.  I  have  already  suggested 
to  her  the  change,  and  she  desires,  above  all  things, 
that  I  make  it." 

"  Does  she  understand  the  ground  of  this  pro- 
posed change?"  asked  Mr.  Melleville. 

"  Clearly." 

"  And  is  -willing  to  meet  privation — to  step  down 
into  even  a  humbler  sphere,  so  that  her  husband  be 
removed  from  the  tempting  influence  of  the  god  of 
this  world?" 

"  She  is,  Mr.  Melleville.  Ah !  I  only  wish  that 
I  could  look  upon  life  as  she  does.  That  I  could 
see  as  clearly — that  I  could  gather,  as  she  is  ga- 
thering them  in  her  daily  walk,  the  riches  that  have 
no  wings." 

"  Thank  God  for  such  a  treasure,  Edward  !  She 
is  worth  more  than  the  wealth  of  the  Indies.  With 
such  an  angel  to  walk  by  your  side,  you  need  feel 
no  evil." 

"You  will  give  me  a  situation,  then,  Mr.  Melle- 
ville?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  59 


"Yes,  Edward,"  replied  the  old  man. 

"  Then  I  will  notify  Mr.  Jasper  this  afternoon, 
and  enter  your  service  on  the  first  of  the  coming 
month.  My  heart  is  lighter  already.  Good  day." 

And  Edward  hurried  off"  home. 

During  the  afternoon  he  found  no  opportunity 
to  speak  to  Mr.  Jasper  on  the  subject  first  in  his 
thoughts,  as  that  individual  wished  him  to  attend  Mrs. 
Elder's  funeral,  and  gather  for  him  all  possible  in- 
formation about  the  child.  It  was  late  when  he 
came  back  from  the  burial-ground — so  late  that  he 
concluded  not  to  return,  on  that  evening,  to  the 
store.  In  the  carriage  in  which  he  rode,  was  the 
clergyman  who  officiated,  and  the  orphan  child  who, 
though  but  half  comprehending  her  loss,  was  yet 
overwhelmed  with  sorrow.  On  their  way  back,  the 
clergyman  asked  to  be  left  at  his  own  dwelling ; 
and  this  was  done.  Claire  was  then  alone  with  the 
child,  who  shrank  close  to  him  in  the  carriage.  He 
did  not  speak  to  her ;  nor  did  she  do  more  than  lift, 
now  and  then,  her  large,  soft,  tear-suffused  eyes  to 
his  face. 

Arrived,  at  length,  at  the  dwelling  from  which 
they  had  just  borne  forth  the  dead,  Claire  gently 
lifted  out  the  child,  and  entered  the  house  with  her. 
Two  persons  only  were  within,  the  domestic  and  the 
woman  who,  on  the  day  previous,  had  spoken  of 
taking  to  her  own  home  the  little  orphaned  one. 
The  former  had  on  her  shawl  and  bonnet,  and  said 
that  she  was  about  going  away. 

"You  will  not  leave  this  child  here  alone,"  said 
Edward. 

"I  will  take  her  for  the  present,"  spoke  up  the 


60  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


other.  "Would  you  like  to  go  home  with  me, 
Fanny?"  addressing  the  child.  "Come," — and  she 
held  out  her  hands. 

But  the  child  shrank  closer  to  the  side  of  Edward, 
and  looked  up  into  his  face  with  a  silent  appeal  that 
his  heart  could  not  resist. 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am,"  he  returned  politely.  "  But 
we  won't  trouble  you  to  do  that.  I  will  take  her  to 
my  own  home  for  the  present.  Would  you  like  to 
go  with  me,  dear  ?" 

Fanny  answered  with  a  grateful  look,  as  she  lifted 
her  beautiful  eyes  again  to  his  face. 

And  so,  after  the  woman  and  the  domestic  had 
departed,  Edward  Claire  locked  up  the  house,  and 
taking  the  willing  child  by  the  hand,  led  her  away 
to  his  own  humble  dwelling. 

Having  turned  himself  resolutely  away  from  evil, 
already  were  the  better  impulses  of  his  nature  quick- 
ened into  active  life.  A  beautiful  humanity  was 
rising  up  to  fill  the  place  so  recently  about  to  be 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  a  hideous  selfishness. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

EDWARD  CLAIRE  was  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  recep- 
tion the  motherless  child  would  receive  from  his 
kind-hearted  wife.  A  word  or  two  of  explanation 
enabled  her  to  comprehend  the  feeling  from  which 
he  had  acted. 


WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS.  61 


"You  were  right,  Edward,"  said  she  in  hearty 
approval.  "  I  am  glad  you  brought  her  home. 
Come,  dear,"  speaking  to  the  wondering,  partly 
shrinking  orphan,  "let  me  take  off  your  bonnet." 

She  kissed  the  child's  sweet  lips  and  then  gazed 
for  some  moments  into  her  face,  pleased,  yet  half 
surprised,  at  her  remarkable  beauty. 

Little  Fanny  felt  that  she  was  among  friends. 
The  sad  expression  of  her  face  soon  wore  off,  light 
came  back  to  her  eyes,  and  her  prattling  tongue  re- 
leased itself  from  a  long  silence.  An  hour  after- 
ward, when  she  was  laid  to  sleep  in  a  temporary 
bed,  made  for  her  on  the  floor,  her  heavy  eyelids 
fell  quickly,  with  their  long  lashes  upon  ner  cheeks, 
and  she  was  soon  in  the  world  of  dreams. 

Then  followed  a  long  and  serious  conference  be- 
tween Edward  and  his  wife. 

"I  saw  Mr.  Melleville  to-day,"  said  the  former. 

"Did  you?  I  am  glad  of  that,"  was  answered. 

"  He  will  give  me  a  place." 

"  Glad  again." 

"  But,  Edith,  as  I  supposed,  he  can  only  pay  me 
a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars."  • 

"No  matter,"  was  the  prompt  reply;  "it  is  bet- 
ter than  five  hundred  where  you  are." 

"  Can  we  live  on  it,  Edith  ?"  Edward  spoke  in  a 
troubled  voice. 

"  Why  not  ?  It  is  but  to  use  a  little  more  econo- 
my in  our  expenses — to  live  on  two  dollars  a  week 
less  than  we  now  spend ;  and  that  will  not  be  very 
hard  to  do.  Trust  it  to  me,  dear.  I  will  bring  the 
account  out  even.  And  we  will  be  just  as  happy. 
As  happy  ?  Oh,  a  thousand  times  happier  !  A  hun- 


62  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


dred  dollars  !  How  poorly  will  that  compensate  for 
broken  peace  and  a  disguleted  conscience.  Edward, 
is  it  possible  for  you  to  remain,  where  you  are,  and 
be  innocent  ?" 

"  I  fear  not,  Edith,"  was  the  unhesitating  reply. 
"  And  yet,  dear,  I  should  be  man  enough,  should 
have  integrity  enough,  to  resist  the  temptations  that 
might  come  in  my  way." 

"  Do  not  think  of  remaining  where  you  are,"  said 
the  young  wife  earnestly.  "  If  Mr.  Melleville  will 
pay  you  four  hundred  dollars  a  year,  take  his  oifer 
and  leave  Mr.  Jasper.  It  will  be  a  gain  rather  than 
a  loss  to  us." 

"Again,  Edith?" 

"  Yes,  a  gain  in  all  that  is  worth  having  in  life — 
peace  of  mind  flowing  from  a  consciousness  of  right 
action.  Will  money  buy  this  ?  No,  Edward.  High- 
ly as  riches  are  esteemed — the  one  great  good  in 
life  as  they  are  regarded — they  never  have  given 
and  never  will  give  this  best  of  all  blessings.  How 
little,  how  very  little  of  the  world's  happiness,  after 
all,  flows  from  the  possession  of  money.  Did  you 
ever  think  of  that,  Edward  ?" 

"  Perhaps  not." 

"  And  yet,  is  it  not  worth  a  passing  thought  ?  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Casswell  are  rich — we  are  poor.  Which 
do  you  think  the  happiest  ?" 

"  Oh,  we  are  happiest,  a  thousand  times,"  said 
Edward  warmly.  "  I  would  not  exchange  places 
with  him,  were  he  worth  a  million  for  every  thou- 
sand." 

"Nor  I  with  his  wife,"  returned  Edith.  "So 
money,  in  their  case,  does  not  give  happiness.  Now 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS. 


look  at  William  Everhart  and  his  wife.  When  we 
were  married  they  occupied  two  rooms,  at  a  low 
rent,  as  we  now  do.  Their  income  was  just  what 
ours  has  heen.  Well,  they  enjoyed  life.  We  vi- 
sited them  frequently,  and  they  often  called  to  see 
us.  But  for  a  little  ambition  on  the  part  of  both  to 
make  some  show,  they  would  have  possessed  a  large 
share  of  that  inestimable  blessing,  contentment.  Af- 
ter a  while,  William's  salary  was  raised  to  one  thou- 
sand dollars.  Then  they  must  have  a  whole  house 
to  themselves,  as  if  their  two  nice  rooms  were  not  as 
large  and  comfortable,  and  as  well  suited  to  their 
real  wants  as  before.  They  must,  also,  have  showy 
furniture  for  their  friends  to  look  at.  Were  they 
any  happier  for  this  change  ? — for  this  marked  im- 
provement in  their  external  condition  ?  We  have 
talked  this  over  before,  Edward.  No,  they  were 
not.  In  fact,  they  were  not  so  comfortable.  With 
added  means  had  come  a  whole  train  of  clamorous 
wants,  that  even  the  doubled  salary  could  not  sup- 

Pty" 

"  Everhart  gets  fifteen  hundred  a  year,  now,"  re- 
marked Claire. 

"  That  will  account,  then,"  said  Edith,  smiling, 
"  for  Emma's  unsettled  state  of  mind  when  I  last 
saw  her.  New  wants  have  been  created  ;  and  they 
have  disturbed  the  former  tranquillity." 

"  All  are  not  so  foolish  as  they  have  been.  I 
think  We  might  bear  an  increased  income  without 
the  drawbacks  that  have  attended  theirs." 

"If  it  had  been  best  for  us,  my  husband,  God 
would  have  provided  it.  It  is  in  his  loving-kindness 
that  he  has  opened  the  way  so  opportunely  for  you 


64  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


to  leave  the  path  of  doubt  and  danger  for  one  of 
confidence  and  safety ;  and,  in  doing  it,  he  has  really 
increased  your  salary." 

"  Increased  it,  Edith  !    "Why  do  you  say  that  ?" 

"  Will  we  not  be  happier  for  the  change  ?"  asked 
Edith,  smiling. 

"I  believe  so." 

"  Then,  surely,  the  salary  is  increased  by  so 
much  of  heartfelt  pleasure.  Why  do  you  desire  an 
increase  rather  than  a  diminution  of  income  ?" 

"  In  order  to  procure  more  of  the  comforts  of 
life,"  was  answered. 

"  Comfort  for  the  body,  and  satisfation  for  the 
mind?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Could  our  bodies  really  enjoy  more  than  they 
now  enjoy  ?  They  are  warmly  clothed,  fully  fed, 
and  are  in  good  health.  Is  it  not  so  ?" 

"  It  is." 

"  Then,  if  by  taking  Mr.  Melleville's  offer,  you 
lose  nothing  for  the  body,  and  gain  largely  for  the 
mind,  is  not  your  income  increased  ?" 

"Ah,  Edith!"  said  Claire,  fondly,  you  are  a 
wonderful  reasoner.  Who  will  gainsay  such  argu- 
ments ?" 

"  Do  I  not  argue  fairly  ?  Are  not  my  positions 
sound,  and  my  deductions  clearly  brought  forth." 

"If  I  could  always  see  and  feel  as  I  do  now," 
said  Claire,  in  a  low,  pleased  tone  of  voice,  "  how 
smoothly  would  life  glide  onward.  Money  is  not 
every  thing.  Ah  !  how  fully  that  is  seen.  There 
are  possessions  not  to  be  bought  with  gold." 

"And  they  are  mental  possessions — states  of  the 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  65 


mind,  Edward,"  spoke  up  Edith  quickly.  "  Riches 
that  never  fade,  nor  fail ;  that  take  to  themselves 
no  wings.  Oh,  let  us  gather  of  these  abundantly, 
as  we  walk  on  our  way  through  life." 

"  Heaven  has  indeed  blessed  me."  Such  was  the 
heartfelt  admission  of  Edward  Claire,  made  in  the 
silence  of  his  own  thoughts.  "  With  a  different 
wife — a  lover  of  the  world  and  its  poor  vanities — 
how  imminent  would  have  been  my  danger  !  Alas  ! 
scarcely  any  thing  less  than  a  miracle  would  have 
saved  me.  I  shudder  as  I  realize  the  fearful  danger 
through  which  I  have  just  passed.  I  thank  God  for 
so  good  a  wife." 

The  first  inquiry  made  by  Jasper,  when  he  met 
Edward  on  the  next  morning,  was  in  relation  to 
what  he  had  seen  at  the  funeral,  and,  particularly, 
as  to  the  disposition  that  had  been  made  of  the 
child. 

"I  took  her  home  with  me,"  was  replied,  in 
answer  to  a  direct  question. 

"  You  did !"  Jasper  seemed  taken  by  surprise. 
"  How  came  that,  Edward  ?" 

"  When  I  returned  from  the  cemetery,  I  found 
the  domestic  ready  to  leave  the  house.  Of  course 
the  poor  child  could  not  remain  there  alone ;  so  I 
took  her  home  with  me  for  the  night." 

"  How  did  your  wife  like  that  ?"  asked  Jasper, 
with  something  in  his  tone  that  showed  a  personal 
interest  in  the  reply. 

"  Very  well.  I  did  just  what  she  would  have  done 
under  the  circumstances." 

"You  have  only  one  child,  I  believe  ?"  said  Jasper, 
after  a  pause  of  some  moments. 


66  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"That  is  all." 

"Only  three  in  family?" 

"  Only  three." 

"  How  would  you  like  to  increase  it  ?  Suppose 
you  keep  this  child  of  Elder's,  now  she  is  with  you. 
I  have  been  looking  a  little  into  the  affairs  of  the 
estate,  and  find  that  there  are  two  houses,  un- 
incumbered,  that  are  rented  each  for  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  a  year.  Of  course,  you  will  re- 
ceive a  reasonable  sum  for  taking  care  of  the  child. 
What  do  you  say  to  it  ?  As  executor,  I  will  pay 
you  five  dollars  a  week  for  boarding  and  clothing 
her  until  she  is  twelve  years  of  age.  After  that,  a 
new  arrangement  can  be  made." 

"I  can't  give  an  answer  until  I  consult  my 
wife,"  said  Claire,  in  reply  to  so  unexpected  a 
proposition. 

"  Urge  her  to  accept  the  offer,  Edward.  Just 
think  what  it  will  add  to  your  income.  I'm  sure  it 
won't  cost  you  one-half  the  sum,  weekly,  that  I  have 
specified,  to  find  the  child  in  every  thing." 

"  Perhaps  not.  But  all  will  depend  on  my  wife. 
We  are  living,  now,  in  two  rooms,  and  keep  no  do- 
mestic. An  addition  of  one  to  our  family  might  so 
increase  her  care  and  labour  as  to  make  a  servant 
necessary.  Then  we  should  have  to  have  an  addi- 
tional room ;  the  rent  of  which  and  the  wages  and 
board  of  the  servant  would  amount  to  nearly  as 
much  as  we  would  receive  from  you  on  account  of 
the  child." 

"  Yes,  I  see  that,"  returned  Jasper.  And  he 
mused  for  some  moments.  He  was  particularly 
anxious  that  Claire  should  take  the  orphan,  for  thea 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  61 


all  the  trouble  of  looking  after  and  caring  for  her 
would  be  taken  from  him,  and  that  would  be  a  good 
deal  gained. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  Edward,"  he  added.  "  If  you 
will  take  her,  I  will  call  the  sum  six  dollars  a  week 
— or  three  hundred  a  year.  That  will  make  the 
matter  perfectly  easy.  If  your  wife  does  not  seem 
at  first  inclined,  talk  to  her  seriously.  This  ad- 
dition to  your  income  will  be  a  great  help.  To  show 
her  that  I  am  perfectly  in  earnest,  and  that  you 
can  depend  on  receiving  the  sum  specified,  I  will 
draw  up  a  little  agreement,  which,  if  all  parties  are 
satisfied,  can  be  signed  at  once." 

Claire  promised  to  talk  the  matter  over  with  his 
wife  at  dinner-time. 

The  morning  did  not  pass  without  varied  assaults 
upon  the  young  man's  recent  good  resolutions. 
Several  times  he  had  customers  in  from  whom  it 
would  have  been  easy  to  get  more  than  a  fair  profit, 
but  he  steadily  adhered  to  what  he  believed  to  be 
right,  notwithstanding  Jasper  once  or  twice  ex- 
pressed dissatisfaction  at  his  not  having  made  better 
sales,  and  particularly  at  his  failing  to  sell  a 
piece  of  cloth,  because  he  would  not  pledge  his 
word  as  to  its  colour  and  quality — neither  of  which 
were  good. 

The  proposition  of  Jasper  for  him  to  make,  in 
his  family,  a  place  for  the  orphan,  caused  Claire  to 
postpone  the  announcement  of  his  intention  to  leave 
his  service,  until  after  he  had  seen  and  conferred 
with  his  wife. 

At  the  usual  dinner-hour,  Claire  returned  home. 
His  mind  had  become  by  this  time  somewhat  dis- 


68  TRUE   RICHES  ;    OR, 


turbed.  The  long-cherished  love  of  money,  sub- 
dued for  a  brief  season,  was  becoming  active  again. 
Here  were  six  dollars  to  be  added,  weekly,  to  his 
income,  provided  his  wife  approved  the  arrangement, 
— and  it  was  to  come  through  Jasper.  The  more 
he  thought  of  this  increase,  the  more  his  natural 
cupidity  was  stirred,  and  the  less  willing  he  felt  to 
give  up  the  proposed  one  hundred  dollars  in  his 
salary.  If  he  persisted  in  leaving  Jasper,  there 
would,  in  all  probability,  be  a  breach  between  them, 
and  this  would,  he  felt  certain,  prevent  an  arrange- 
ment that  he  liked  better  and  better  the  more  he 
thought  about  it.  He  was  in  this  state  of  mind 
when  he  arrived  at  home. 

On  pushing  open  the  door  of  their  sitting-room, 
the  attention  of  Claire  was  arrested  by  the  ani- 
mated expression  of  his  wife's  face.  She  raised 
her  finger  to  enjoin  silence.  Tripping  lightly 
to  his  side,  she  drew  her  arm  within  his,  and 
whispered — 

"  Come  into  the  chamber,  dear — tread  softly — 
there,  isn't  that  sweet  ? — isn't  it  lovely  ?" 

The  sight  was  lovely  indeed.  A  pillow  had  been 
thrown  on  the  floor,  and  upon  this  lay  sleeping,  arm 
in  arm,  the  two  children.  Pressed  close  together 
were  their  rosy  cheeks ;  and  the  sunny  curls  of 
Fanny  Elder  were  mixed,  like  gleams  of  sunshine, 
amid  the  darker  ringlets  that  covered  profusely  the 
head  of  little  Edith. 

"Did  you  ever  see  any  thing  so  beautiful?"  said 
the  delighted  mother. 

"  What  a  picture  it  would  make !"  remarked  Ed- 
ward, who  was  charmed  with  the  sight. 


WEALTH    WITHOUT   WINGS.  69 


"  Oh,  lovely !  How  I  would  like  just  such  a 
picture  !" 

"  She  is  a  beautiful  child,"  said  Edward. 

"  Very,"  was  the  hearty  response.  "  Very — and 
so  sweet-tempered  and  winning  in  her  ways.  Do 
you  know,  I  am  already  attached  to  her.  And  little 
Edie  is  so  delighted.  They  have  played  all  the 
morning  like  kittens ;  and  a  little  while  ago  lay 
down,  just  as  you  see  them — tired  out,  I  suppose — 
and  fell  off  to  sleep.  It  must  have  heen  hard  for  the 
mother  to  part  with  that  child — hard,  very  hard." 

And  Mrs.  Claire  sighed. 

"  You  will  scarcely  be  willing  to  give  her  up,  if 
she  remains  here  long,"  said  Edward. 

"  I  don't  know  how  I  should  feel  to  part  from 
her,  even  now.  Oh,  isn't  it  sad  to  think  that  she 
has  no  living  soul  to  love  or  care  for  her  in  the 
world." 

"  Mr.  Jasper  is  her  guardian,  you  know." 

"  Yes ;  and  such  a  guardian  !" 

"  I  should  not  like  to  have  my  child  dependent 
on  his  tender  mercies,  certainly.  But  he  will  have 
little  to  do  with  her  beyond  paying  the  bills  for  her 
maintenance.  He  will  place  her  in  some  family  to 
board ;  and  her  present  comfort  and  future  well- 
being  will  depend  very  much  upon  the  character  of 
the  persons  who  have  charge  of  her." 

Edith  sighed. 

" I  wish,"  said  she,  after  a  pause,  "that  we  were 
able  to  take  her.  But  we  are  not." 

And  she  sighed  again. 

"  Mr.  Jasper  will  pay  six  dollars  a  week  to  any 


70  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


one  who  will  take  the  entire  care  of  her  until  she  is 
twelve  years  of  age." 

"  Will  he  ?"  A  sudden  light  had  gleamed  over 
the  face  of  Mrs.  Claire. 

"Yes;  he  said  so  this  morning." 

"  Then,  why  may  not  we  take  her  ?  I  am  will- 
ing," was  Edith's  quick  suggestion. 

"  It  is  a  great  care  and  responsibility,"  said  Ed- 
ward. 

"  I  shall  not  feel  it  so.  When  the  heart  prompts, 
duty  becomes  a  pleasure.  0  yes,  dear,  let  us  take 
the  child  by  all  means." 

"  Can  we  make  room  for  her  ?" 

"  Why  not  ?  Her  little  bed,  in  a  corner  of  our 
chamber,  will  in  noway  incommode  us ;  and  through 
the  day  she  will  be  a  companion  for  Edie.  If  you 
could  only  have  seen  how  sweetly  they  played  to- 
gether !  Edie  has  not  been  half  the  trouble  to-day 
that  she  usually  is." 

"  It  will  rest  altogether  with  you,  Edith,"  said 
Claire,  seriously.  "In  fact,  Mr.  Jasper  proposed 
that  we  should  take  Fanny.  I  did  not  give  him 
much  encouragement,  however." 

"Have  you  any  objection,  dear?"  asked  Edith. 

"  None.  The  sum  to  be  paid  weekly  will  more 
than  cover  the  additional  cost  of  housekeeping.  If 
you  are  prepared  for  the  extra  duties  that  must 
come,  I  have  nothing  to  urge  against  the  arrange- 
ment." 

"  If  extra  duties  are  involved,  I  will  perform  them 
as  a  labour  of  love.  Without  the  sum  to  be  paid 
for  the  child's  maintenance,  I  would  have  been 
ready  to  take  her  in  and  let  her  share  our  home. 


WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS.  71 


She  is  now  in  the  special  guardianship  of  the  Father 
of  the  fatherless,  and  he  will  provide  for  her,  no 
matter  who  become  the  almoners  of  his  bounty. 
This  is  my  faith,  Edward,  and  in  this  faith  I  would 
have  freely  acted  even  without  the  provision  that 
has  been  made." 

"  Let  it  be  then,  as  you  wish,  Edith." 
'  How  providential  this  increase  of  our  income, 
Edward!"  said  his  wife,  soon  afterward,  while  the 
subject  of  taking  Fanny  into  their  little  household 
was  yet  the  burden  of  their  conversation.  "We 
shall  gain  here  all,  and  more  than  all  that  will  be 
lost  in  giving  up  your  situation  with  Mr.  Jasper. 
Did  I  not  say  to  you  that  good  would  come  of  this 
guardianship ;  and  is  there  not,  even  now,  a  fore- 
shadowing of  things  to  come  ?" 

"Perhaps  there  is,"  replied  Edward  thoughtfully. 
"But  my  eye  of  faith  is  not  so  clear  as  yours." 

"  Let  me  see  for  you  then,  dear,"  said  Edith,  in 
a  tender  voice.  "  I  am  an  earnest  confider  in  the 
gook  purposes  of  our  Heavenly  Father.  I  trust  in 
them,  as  a  ship  trusts  in  its  well-grounded  anchor. 
That,  in  summing  up  the  events  of  our  life,  when 
the  time  of  our  departure  comes,  we  shall  see 
clearly  that  each  has  been  wisely  ordered  or  pro- 
vided for  by  One  who  is  infinitely  good  and  wise,  I 
never  for  an  instant  doubt.  Oh,  if  you  could  only 
see  with  me,  eye  to  eye,  Edward !  But  you  will, 
love,  you  will — that  my  heart  assures  me.  It  may  be 
some  time  yet — but  it  will  come." 

"May  it  come  right  speedily!"  was  the  fervent 
response  of  Edward  Claire. 


72  TRUE   RICHES  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"WELL,  Edward,  what  does  your  wife  say?" 
Such  was  the  inquiry  of  Jasper,  immediately  on 
the  return  of  his  clerk  from  dinner. 

"  There  will  be  no  difficulty,  so  far  as  she  is  con- 
cerned," the  young  man  answered. 

"  None,  did  you  say,  Edward  ?" 

"  None.  She  is  willing  to  take  the  child,  under 
the  arrangement  you  propose." 

"  That  is,  for  three  hundred  dollars  a  year,  to 
find  her  in  every  thing  ?" 

"  Yes ;  until  she  is  twelve  years  of  age." 

"  So  I  understand  it.  After  that,  as  the  expense 
of  her  clothing  and  education  will  increase,  we  can 
make  a  new  arrangement.  Very  well.  I'm  glad 
you  have  decided  to  take  the  child.  It  won't  cost 
you  six  dollars  a  week,  for  the  present,  I  am  sure : 
so  the  additional  income  will  be  quite  a  help  to  you." 

"  I  don't  know  how  that  will  be.  At  any  rate, 
we  are  willing  to  take  the  child  into  our  family." 

"  Suppose  then,  Edward,  we  mutually  sign  this 
little  agreement  to  that  effect,  which  I  have  drawn 
up." 

And  Jasper  took  a  paper  from  his  desk,  which  he 
handed  to  Edward. 

"  I've  no  objection,"  said  the  latter,  after  he  had 
read  it  over.  "  It  binds  me  to  the  maintenance  of 
the  child  until  she  is  twelve  years  of  age,  and  you 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  73 


to  the  payment  therefor  of  three  hundred  dollars  a 
year,  in  quarterly  payments  of  seventy-five  dollars 
each." 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  simple  statement  of  the  matter. 
You  see,  I  have  prepared  duplicates :  one  for  you, 
and  one  for  myself.  I  will  sign  them  first." 

And  Jasper  took  a  pen  and  placed  upon  each  of 
the  documents  his  sign-manual. 

Claire  did  the  same ;  and  a  clerk  witnessed  the 
signatures.  Each,  then,  took  a  copy.  Thus,  quickly 
and  fully,  was  the  matter  arranged. 

This  fact  of  giving  to  the  contract  a  legal  form, 
was,  under  the  circumstances,  the  very  thing  Claire 
most  desired.  He  had  already  begun  to  see  diffi- 
culties ahead,  so  soon  as  he  announced  his  intention 
of  leaving  Jasper's  service ;  particularly,  as  no  rea- 
son that  he  could  give  would  satisfy  the  merchant — 
difficulties  growing  out  of  this  new  relation  as  the 
personal  guardian  of  little  Fanny  Elder.  The  sign- 
ing of  a  regular  contract  for  the  payment  of  a  certain 
sum  of  money,  quarterly,  for  the  child's  maintenance, 
gave  him  a  legal  right  to  collect  that  sum,  should 
Jasper,  from  any  change  of  feeling,  be  disposed  at 
some  future  time  to  give  him  trouble.  This  was 
something  gained. 

It  was  with  exceeding  reluctance  that  Claire 
forced  himself,  during  the  afternoon,  to  announce 
his  intention  to  leave  Mr.  Jasper.  Had  he  not  pro- 
mised Mr.  Melleville  and  his  wife  to  do  this,  it  would 
certainly  have  been  postponed  for  the  present ;  per- 
haps altogether.  But  his  word  was  passed  to  both 
of  them,  and  he  felt  that  to  defer  the  matter  would 
be  wrong.  So,  an  opportunity  offering,  he  said — 


74  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  I  believe,  Mr.  Jasper,  that  I  shall  have  to  leave 
you." 

"Leave  me,  Edward!"  Mr.  Jasper  was  taken 
altogether  by  surprise.  "  What  is  the  meaning  of 
this  ?  You  have  expressed  no  dissatisfaction.  What 
is  wrong?" 

The  position  of  Edward  was  a  trying  one.  He 
could  not  state  the  true  reasons  for  wishing  to  leave 
his  present  situation,  without  giving  great  offence, 
and  making,  perhaps,  an  enemy.  This  he  wished, 
if  possible,  to  avoid.  A  few  days  before  he  would 
not  have  scrupled  at  the  broadest  equivocation,  or 
even  at  a  direct  falsehood.  But  there  had  been  a 
birth  of  better  principles  in  his  mind,  and  he  was 
in  the  desire  to  let  them  govern  his  conduct.  As 
he  did  not  answer  promptly  the  question  of  Jasper 
as  to  his  reasons  for  wishing  to  leave  him,  the  latter 
said — 

"  This  seems  to  be  some  sudden  purpose,  Edward. 
Are  you  going  to  receive  a  higher  salary  ?" 

Still  Edward  did  not  reply ;  but  looked  worried 
and  irresolute.  Taking  it  for  granted  that  no  mo- 
tive but  a  pecuniary  one  could  have  prompted  this 
desire  for  change,  Jasper  continued — 

"  I  have  been  satisfied  with  you,  Edward.  You 
seem  to  understand  me,  and  to  comprehend  my  mode 
of  doing  business.  I  have  found  you  industrious, 
prompt,  and  cheerful  in  performing  your  duties. 
These  are  qualities  not  always  to  be  obtained.  I  do 
not,  therefore,  wish  to  part  with  you.  If  a  hundred, 
or  even  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  will  be 
any  consideration,  your  salary  is  increased  from 
to-day." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  75 


This,  to  Edward,  was  unexpected.  He  felt  more 
bewildered  and  irresolute  than  at  first.  So  import- 
ant an  advance  in  his  income,  set  against  a  reduc- 
tion of  the  present  amount,  was  a  strong  temptation, 
and  he  felt  his  old  desires  for  money  arraying  them- 
selves in  his  mind. 

"  I  will  think  over  your  offer,"  said  he.  "  I  did 
not  expect  this.  In  the  morning  I  will  be  prepared 
to  decide."  v 

"Very  well,  Edward.  If  you  remain,  your  salary 
will  be  increased  to  six  hundred  and  fifty  dollars." 

To  Claire  had  now  come  another  hour  of  dark- 
ness. The  little  strength,  just  born  of  higher  prin- 
ciples, was  to  be  sorely  tried.  Gold  was  in  one  scale, 
and  the  heavenly  riches  that  are  without  wings  in 
the  other.  Which  was  to  overbalance  ? 

The  moment  Claire  entered  the  presence  of  his 
wife,  on  returning  home  that  evening,  she  saw  that  a 
change  had  taken  place — an  unfavourable  change ; 
and  a  shadow  fell  upon  her  pure  spirit. 

"  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Jasper  about  leaving  him,"  he 
remarked,  soon  after  he  came  in. 

"  What  did  he  say  ?"  inquired  Edith. 

"  He  does  not  wish  me  to  go." 

"  I  do  not  wonder  at  that.  But,  of  course,  he  is 
governed  merely  by  a  selfish  regard  to  his  own  in- 
terests." 

"  He  offers  to  increase  my  salary  to  six  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,"  said  Edward,  in  a  voice  that  left 
his  wife  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  effect  which  this  had 
produced. 

"A  thousand  dollars  a  year,  Edward,"  was  the 
serious  answer,  "  would  be  a  poor  compensation  for 


76  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


Buch  services  as  he  requires.  Loss  of  self-respect,  loss 
of  honour,  loss  of  the  immortal  soul,  are  all  involved. 
Think  of  this,  my  dear  husband  !  and  do  not  for  a 
moment  hesitate." 

But  Edward  did  hesitate.  This  unexpected  offer 
of  so  important  an  increase  in  his  salary  had  ex- 
cited his  love  of  money,  temporarily  quiescent.  He 
saw  in  such  an  increase  a  great  temporal  good ;  and 
this  obscured  his  perception  of  a  higher  good,  which, 
a  little  while  before,  had  been  so  clear. 

"  I  am  not  so  sure,  Edith,"  said  he,  "  that  all  these 
sad  consequences  are  necessarily  involved.  I  am 
under  no  obligation  to  deal  unfairly  with  his  custom- 
ers. My  duty  will  be  done,  when  I  sell  to  them  all 
I  can  at  a  fair  profit.  If  he  choose  to  take  an  excess 
of  profit  in  his  own  dealing,  that  is  his  affair.  I 
need  not  be  partaker  in  his  guilt." 

"Edward!"  returned  his  wife,  laying  her  hand 
upon  his  arm,  and  speaking  in  a  low,  impressive 
voice — "  Do  you  really  believe  that  you  can  give  sa- 
tisfaction to  Mr.  Jasper  in  all  things,  and  yet  keep 
your  conscience  void  of  offence  before  God  and  man  ? 
Think  of  his  character  and  requirements — think  of 
the  kind  of  service  you  have,  in  too  many  instances, 
rendered  him — and  then  say  whether  it  will  be  pos- 
sible to  satisfy  him  without  putting  in  jeopardy  all 
that  a  man  should  hold  dear — all  that  is  worth -liv- 
ing for  ?  Oh,  Edward !  do  not  let  this  offer  blind 
you  for  a  moment  to  the  real  truth." 

"  Then  you  would  have  me  reject  the  offer?" 
"  Without  an  instant's  hesitation,  Edward." 
"It  is  a  tempting  one.     And  then,  look  at  the 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  77 


other  side,  Edith.  Only  four  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
instead  of  six  hundred  and  fifty." 

"I  feel  it  as  no  temptation.  The  latter  sum,  in 
the  present  case,  is  by  far  the  better  salary,  for  it 
will  give  us  higher  sources  of  enjoyment.  What  are 
millions  of  dollars,  and  a  disquiet  mind,  compared 
to  a  few  hundreds,  and  sweet  peace  ?  If  you  remain 
with  Jasper,  an  unhappy  spirit  will  surely  steal  into 
our  dwelling — if  you  take,  for  the  present,  your  old 
place  with  Mr.  Melleville,  how  brightly  will  each 
morning's  sun  shine  in  upon  us,  and  how  calmly  Avill 
the  blessed  evening  draw  around  her  curtains  of  re- 
pose !" 

Edith  had  always  possessed  great  influence  over 
her  husband.  He  loved  her  very  tenderly ;  and  was 
ever  loth  to  do  any  thing  to  which  she  made  oppo- 
sition. She  was  no  creature  of  mere  impulse — of 
weak  caprices — of  captious,  yet  unbending  will.  If 
she  opposed  her  husband  in  any  thing,  it  was  on  the 
ground  of  its  non-agreement  with  just  principles ; 
and  she  always  sustained  her  positions  with  the 
clearest  and  most  direct  modes  of  argumentation. 
Not  with  elaborate  reasonings,  but  rather  in  the  de- 
claration of  things  self-evident — the  quick  percep- 
tions of  a  pure,  truth-loving  mind.  How  inestima- 
ble the  blessing  of  such  a  wife  ! 

"  No  doubt  you  have  the  better  reason  on  your 
side,  Edith,"  replied  her  husband,  his  manner  very 
much  subdued.  "  But  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  unclasp 
my  hand  to  let  fall  therefrom  the  natural  good  which 
I  can  see  and  estimate,  for  the  seemingly  unreal 
and  unsubstantial  good  that,  to  your  purer  vision, 
looms  up  so  imposingly." 

7* 


TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Unreal — unsubstantial — Edward!"  said  Edith, 
in  reply  to  this.  "  Are  states  of  mind  unreal  ?" 

"  I  have  not  always  found  them  so,"  was  answered. 

"  Is  happiness,  or  misery,  unreal  ?  Oh,  are  they 
not  our  most  palpable  realizations?  It  is  not  mere 
wealth  that  is  sought  foj  as  an  end — that  is  not  the 
natural  good  for  which  the  many  are  striving.  It  is 
the  mental  enjoyment  that  possession  promises — the 
state  of  mind  that  would  be  gained  through  gold  as 
a  means.  Is  it  not  so?  Think." 

"Yes — that  is,  undoubtedly,  the  case." 

"But,  is  it  possible  for  money  to  give  peace 
and  true  enjoyment,  if,  in  the  spirit,  even  though 
not  in  the  letter,  violence  is  done  to  the  laws  of 
both  God  and  man  ?  Can  ill-gotten  gain  produce 
heavenly  beatitudes  ? — and  there  are  none  others. 
The  heart  never  grows  truly  warm  and  joyous  ex- 
cept when  light  from  above  streams  through  the 
darkened  vapours  with  which  earth-fires  have  sur- 
rounded it.  Oh,  my  husband  !  Turn  yourself  away 
from  this  world's  false  allurements,  and  seek  with 
me  the  true  riches.  Whatever  may  be  your  lot  in 
life — I  care  not  how  poor  and  humble — I  shall  walk 
erect  and  cheerful  by  your  side,  if  you  have  been 
able  to  keep  a  conscience  void  of  offence ;  but  if 
this  be  not  so,  and  you  bring  to  me  gold  and  trea- 
sure without  stint,  my  head  will  lie  bowed  upon  my 
bosom,  and  my  heart  throb  in  low,  grief-burdened 
pulsations.  False  lights,  believe  me,  Edward,  are 
hung  out  by  the  world,  and  they  lure  life's  mariner 
on  to  dangerous  coasts.  Let  us  remain  on  a  smooth 
and  sunny  sea,  while  we  can,  and  not  tempt  the 
troubled  and  uncertain  wave,  unless  duty  requires 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  79 


the  venture.  Then,  with  virtue  at  the  helm,  and  the 
light  of  God's  love  in  the  sky,  we  will  find  a  sure 
haven  at  last." 

"It  shall  be  as  you  wish,  Edith,"  said  Claire,  as 
he  gazed  with  admiring  affection  into  the  bright  and 
glowing  face  of  his  wife,  that  was  lovely  in  her  beau- 
tiful enthusiasm. 

"No — no,  Edward  !  Don't  say  as  I  wish,"  was  her 
quick  reply.  "  I  cannot  bear  that  you  should  act 
merely  under  my  influence  as  an  external  pressure. 
If  I  have  seemed  to  use  persuasion,  it  has  not  been 
to  force  you  over  to  my  way  of  thinking.  But,  can- 
not you  see  that  I  am  right  ?  Does  not  your  reason 
approve  of  what  I  say  ?" 

"  It  does,  Edith.  I  can  see,  as  well  as  feel,  that 
you  are  right.  But,  the  offer  of  a  present  good  is  a 
strong  temptation.  I  speak  freely." 

"  And  I  thank  you  for  doing  so.  Oh  !  never  con- 
ceal from  me  your  inmost  thoughts.  You  say  that 
you  can  see  as  well  as  feel  that  I  am  right  ?" 

"  Yes ;  I  freely  acknowledge  that." 

"Your  reason  approves  what  I  have  said?" 

"  Fully." 

"  This  tells  you  that  it  will  be  better  for  you  in 
the  end  to  accept  of  four  hundred  dollars  from  Mr. 
Melleville,  than  to  remain  with  Mr.  Jasper  at  six 
hundred  and  fifty?" 

"It  does,  Edith." 

"  Then,  my  husband,  let  the  reason  which  God 
has  given  to  you  as  a  guide,  direct  you  now  in  the 
right  way.  Do  not  act  under  influence  from  me — 
for  then  the  act  will  not  be  freely  your  own — but, 
as  a  truly  rational,  and,  therefore,  a  wise  man,  choose 


80  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 

now  the  way  in  which  an  enlightened  reason  tells 
you  that  you  ought  to  walk." 

"  I  have  chosen,  Edith,"  was  the  young  man's  low, 
but  firm  reply. 

"  How  ?"     The  wife  spoke  with  a  sudden,  trem- 
bling eagerness,  and  held  her  breath  for  an  answer. 

"  I  will  leave  my  present  place,  and  return  to  Mr. 
Melleville." 

.  "God  be  thanked!"  came  sobbing  from  the  lips 
of  Edith,  as  she  threw  herself  in  unrestrained  joy 
upon  the  bosom  of  her  husband. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"I  DON'T  just  understand  this,"  said  Jasper  to 
himself,  after  the  interview  with  his  clerk  described 
in  another  chapter.  "  I  thought  him  perfectly  sa- 
tisfied. He  didn't  say  he  was  offered  a  higher  sa- 
lary. Ah  !  guess  I've  got  it  now.  It's  only  a  bit  of 
a  ruse  on  his  part  to  get  me  to  increase  his  wages. 
I  didn't  think  of  this  before.  Well,  it  has  succeed- 
ed ;  and,  in  truth,  he's  worth  all  I've  offered  him. 
Shrewd,  quick,  and  sharp ;  he's  a  young  man  just 
to  my  mind.  Should  he  grow  restless  again,  I  must 
tempt  him  with  the  idea  of  a  partnership  at  some 
future  period.  If  business  goes  on  increasing,  I 
shall  want  some  one  with  me  whom  I  can  trust  and 
depend  on  more  fully  than  on  a  clerk." 

Thus,  in  the  mind  of  Jasper,  all  was  settled ;  and 
he  was  fully  prepared,  on  the  next  morning,  when 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  81 


he  met  Edward,  to  hear  from  him  that  he  would  re 
main  in  his  service.  A  different  decision  took  him 
altogether  by  surprise. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  he  asked.  Edward 
hesitated  a  moment  ere  replying. 

"Back  to  Mr.  Melleville's." 

"  To  Melleville's  !  Will  he  give  you  more  salary 
than  I  have  agreed  to  pay  ?" 

"No,"  was  the  answer;  "but  I  have  reasons  for 
wishing  to  accept  the  place  he  offers  me." 

"  Well,  just  as  you  please,"  said  Jasper,  coldly. 
"Every  one  must  suit  himself." 

And,  with  the  air  of  a  person  offended,  he  turned 
himself  from  the  young  man.  Soon  after  he  went  out, 
and  did  not  come  back  for  two  or  three  hours.  When 
he  re-entered  the  store  there  was  an  angry  flash  in 
his  eyes,  which  rested  somewhat  sternly  upon  Claire. 

"  Let  me  say  a  word  with  you,  Edward." 

There  happened  to  be  no  customer  in  to  engage 
the  clerk's  attention,  and  he  retired,  with  his  em- 
ployer, to  the  back  part  of  the  store.  Jasper  then 
turned  and  confronted  him  with  a  stern  aspect. 

"  Well,  young  man  !"  said  he  sharply,  "  it  seema 
that  you  have  been  making  rather  free  with  my  good 
name,  of  late ;  representing  me  as  a  cheat  and  a 
swindler." 

For  a  few  moments  the  mind  of  Claire  was  strong- 
ly excited  and  in  a  perfect  maze  of  confusion.  The 
blood  mounted  to  his  face,  and  he  felt  a  rising  and 
choking  sensation  in  his  throat.  Wisely  he  forbore 
any  answer  until  he  had  regained  his  self-possession. 
Then,  with  a  coolness  that  surprised  even  himself,  he 
said — 


TRUE   RICHES  ;     OR, 


-"  That's  a  broad  accusation,  Mr.  Jasper.  Will  you 
go  with  me  to  your  authority  ?" 

Jasper  was  not  just  prepared  for  a  response  like 
this ;  and  he  cooled  down,  instantly,  several  de- 
grees. 

"  My  authority  is  quite  satisfactory,"  he  returned, 
still  manifesting  angry  feeling.  "  That  you  have 
been  slandering  me  is  plain ;  and,  also,  betraying 
the  confidential  transactions  of  the  house.  It  is  full 
time  we  parted — full  time.  I  didn't  dream  that  ~ 
was  warming  an  adder  to  sting  me  ?" 

"I  must  insist,  Mr.  Jasper,"  said  Claire  firmly. 
"  that  you  give  me  your  authority  for  all  this.  Leo 
me  stand  face  to  face  with  the  man  who  has  so 
broadly  accused  me." 

"  Then  you  deny  it  all  ?" 

"  I  shall  neither  affirm  nor  deny  any  thing.  You 
have  angrily  accused  me  of  having  done  you  a 
great  wrong.  All  I  ask  is  your  authority,  and  the 
right  to  stand  face  to  face  with  that  authority.  This 
is  no  light  matter,  Mr.  Jasper." 

"Well  said,  young  man.  It  is  no  light  matter, 
as  you  will,  perhaps,  know  to  your  sorrow  in  the 
end.  Don't  suppose,  for  a  moment,  that  I  shall 
either  forget  or  forgive  this  outrage.  Leave  me  be- 
cause I  cheat  in  my  business  !"  An  expression  of 
unmitigated  contempt  was  on  his  face.  "  Poh ! 
What  hypocrisy  !  I  know  you !  And  let  Mr.  Melle- 
ville  beware.  He,  I  more  than  suspect,  is  at  the 
bottom  of  this.  But  he'll  rue  the  day  he  crossed 
my  path — he  will !" 

And  Jasper  ground  his  teeth  in  anger. 

By  this  time,  Claire  had  become  entirely  self-pos- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  88 


sessed.  He  was  both  surprised  and  troubled ;  yet 
concealed,  as  far  as  possible,  the  real  state  of  his 
feelings. 

"  So  far  as  Mr.  Melleville  is  concerned,"  said  he, 
"  I  wish  you  to  understand,  that  I  applied  to  him 
for  the  situation." 

"  Exactly !  That  is  in  agreement  with  what  I 
heard.  I  was  such  a  rogue  that  you  could  not  live 
with  me  and  keep  a  clear  conscience — so  you  sought 
for  a  place  with  an  honest  man." 

Claire  dropped  his  eyes  to  the  floor,  and  stood 
musing  for  some  considerable  time.  When  he  raised 
them,  he  looked  steadily  at  his  employer  and  said — 

"  Mr.  Jasper,  I  never  made  use  of  the  words  you 
have  repeated." 

"  If  not  the  very  words,  those  of  a  like  significa- 
tion ?" 

"  To  whom  ?  There  is  no  need  of  concealment, 
Mr.  Jasper."  Claire  was  feeling  less  and  less  anxious 
for  the  result  of  this  conference  every  moment. 
"  Speak  out  freely,  and  you  will  find  me  ready  to  do 
the  same.  There  had  been  some  underhand  work 
here — or  some  betrayal  of  an  ill-advised  confidence. 
The  former,  I  am  most  ready  to  believe.  In  a  word, 
sir,  and  to  bring  this  at  once  to  an  issue — your  in- 
formant in  this  matter  is  Henry  Parker,  who  lives 
with  Mr.  Melleville." 

The  change  instantly  perceptible  in  the  manner 
of  Jasper  showed  that  Edward's  suspicion  was 
right.  He  had,  all  at  once,  remembered  that,  during 
his  conversation  with  Melleville,  this  young  man  was 
near. 

"  I  see  how  it  is,"  he  continued.    "  An  eavesdrop- 


84  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


per  has  reported,  with  his  own  comments  and  exag- 
gerations, a  strictly  confidential  interview.  Such 
being  the  case,  I  will  state  the  plain  truth  of  the 
matter.  Are  you  prepared  to  hear  it  ?" 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  replied  Jasper,  with  a  covert 
sneer  in  his  voice.  "  I'm  prepared  to  hear  any  thing." 

"Very  well.  What  I  have  to  say  is  now  wrung 
from  me.  I  did  not  wish  to  leave  you  in  anger.  I 
did  not  wish  to  draw  upon  me  your  ill-will.  But, 
what  is  unavoidable  must  be  borne.  It  is  true,  Mr. 
Jasper,  as  you  have  been  informed,  that  I  am  not 
satisfied  with  your  way  of  doing  business." 

"  How  long  since,  pray?"  asked  Jasper,  with  ill- 
disguised  contempt. 

"  I  did  not  like  it  in  the  beginning,  but  gradual- 
ly suffered  myself  to  think  that  all  was  fair  in  trade, 
until  I  found  I  was  no  better  than  a  common  cheat ! 
Happily,  I  have  been  able  to  make  a  sudden  pause 
in  the  way  I  was  going.  From  this  time,  I  will 
serve  no  man  who  expects  me  to  overreach  a  cus- 
tomer in  dealing.  So  soon  as  my  mind  was  fully 
made  up  to  leave  your  employment,  I  called  to  see 
my  old  friend,  Mr.  Melleville  ;  stated  to  him,  frank- 
ly and  fully,  what  I  thought  and  felt ;  and  asked 
him  if  he  could  not  make  room  for  me  in  his  store. 
Parker  doubtless  overheard  a  part  of  what  we  were 
saying,  and  reported  it  to  you.  I  would,  let  me  say 
in  passing,  much  rather  hold  my  relation  to  this  un- 
pleasant business  than  his.  Mr.  Melleville  offered 
me  my  old  salary — four  hundred  dollars — and  I 
agreed  to  enter  his  service." 

"  Four  hundred  dollars  !"  Jasper  said  this  in  un- 
feigned surprise. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WIXGS.  85 


-    "  Yes,  sir ;  that  is  all  he  can  afford  to  pay,and  of 
course  all  I  will  receive." 

"  And  I  offered  you  six  hundred  and  fifty." 

"  True." 

"  Edward,  you  are  the  most  consummate  fool  I 
ever  heard  of." 

"  Time  will  show  that,"  was  the  undisturbed  reply. 
"  I  have  made  my  election  thoughtfully,  and  am  pre- 
pared to  meet  the  result." 

"  You'll  repent  of  this  ;  mark  my  word  for  it." 

"I  may  regret  your  ill-will,  Mr.  Jasper;  but 
never  repent  this  step.     I'm  only  thankful  that  I 
possessed  sufficient  resolution  to  take  it." 
'  "  When  are  you  going  ?" 

"Not  before  the  end  of  this  month,  unless  you 
wish  it  otherwise.  I  would  like  to  give  you  full 
time  to  supply  my  place." 

"  You  can  go  at  once,  if  it  so  please  you.  In  fact, 
after  what  has  just  passed,  I  don't  see  how  you  can 
remain,  or  I  tolerate  your  presence." 

"  I  am  ready  for  this,  Mr.  Jasper,"  coolly  replied 
the  young  man. 

"  How  much  is  due  you  ?"  was  inquired,  after  a 
brief  silence. 

"  Twenty-five  dollars,  I  believe,"  answered  Claire. 

Jasper  threw  open  a  ledger  that  lay  on  the  desk, 
and,  turning  to  the  young  man's  account,  ran  his 
eyes  up  the  two  columns  of  figures,  and  then  struck 
a  balance. 

"  Just  twenty-seven  dollars,"  said  he,  after  a  se- 
cond examination  of  the  figures.  "  And  here's  the 
money,"  he  added,  as  he  took  some  bills  from  the 
desk  and  counted  out  the  sum  just  mentioned.  "  Now 


86  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


sign  me  a  receipt  in  full  to  date,  and  that  ends  the 
matter." 

The  receipt  was  promptly  signed. 

"And  now,"  sneered  Jasper,  bowing  with  mock 
deference,  "  I  wish  you  joy  of  your  better  place. 
You  will,  in  all  probability,  hear  from  me  again. 
I  haven't  much  faith  in  your  over-righteous  people  ; 
and  will  do  myself  the  justice  to  make  some  very 
careful  examinations  into  your  doings  since  you  en- 
tered my  service.  If  all  is  right,  well ;  if  not,  it 
won't  be  good  for  you.  I'm  not  the  man  to  forgive 
ingratitude,  injury,  and  insult — of  all  three  of  which 
you  have  been  guilty." 

"  We  will  not  bandy  words  on  that  subject, 
Mr.  Jasper,"  said  Claire — "I  simply  deny  that  I 
have  been  guilty  of  either  of  the  faults  you  al- 
lege. As  for  an  investigation  into  my  business 
conduct,  that  you  can  do  as  early  and  as  thoroughly 
as  you  please.  I  shall  feel  no  anxiety  for  the 
result." 

Jasper  did  not  reply.  For  a  few  moments  the 
young  man  stood  as  if  expecting  some  remark ; 
none  being  made,  he  turned  away,  gathered  to- 
gether a  few  articles  that  were  his  own  private  pro- 
perty, tied  them  into  a  bundle  and  marked  his  name 
thereon.  Then  bowing  to  the  merchant,  he  retired 
— oppressed  from  recent  painful  excitement,  yet 
glad,  in  his  inmost  feelings,  that  a  connection  so 
dangerous  as  that  with  Jasper  had  been  dissolved — 
dissolved  even  at  the  cost  of  making  an  enemy. 


WEALTH  WITHOUT   WINGS.  87 


CHAPTER  IX. 

As  no  event  of  particularly  marked  interest  oc- 
curred with  those  whose  histories  we  are  writing, 
during  the  next  few  years,  we  will  pass  over  that 
time  without  a  record.  Some  changes  of  more  or 
less  importance  have  taken  place,  in  the  natural 
progress  of  things  ;  but  these  will  become  apparent 
as  we  pursue  the  narrative. 

A  dull,  damp  November  day  was  losing  itself  in 
the  sombre  twilight,  when  Edward  Claire  left  the 
store  of  Mr.  Melleville,  and  took  his  way  homeward. 
An  errand  for  his  wife  led  him  past  his  old  place 
of  business.  As  he  moved  along  the  street,  oppo- 
site, he  noticed  a  new  sign  over  the  door,  the  large 
gilt  letters  of  which  were  strongly  reflected  in  the 
light  of  a  gas-lamp.  It  bore  the  words,  JASPER  & 
PARKER. 

Involuntarily  the  young  man  sighed.  If  he  had 
remained  with  Jasper,  there  was  little  doubt  but 
that  his  name  would  have  been  the  one  now  associ- 
ated with  his  in  a  copartnership.  Parker  was  the 
young  man  who  had  betrayed  the  conversation  be- 
tween Claire  and  Mr.  Melleville.  His  end  in  doing 
this  was  to  gain  the  favour  of  Jasper,  and  thus  se- 
cure the  place  left  vacant  by  the  departing  clerk. 
He  had  succeeded  in  his  purpose.  Jasper  offered 
him  the  situation,  and  he  took  it.  Five  years  after- 
ward, in  which  time  Jasper  had  made*  money 


88  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 

rapidly,  he  was  elevated  to  the  position  of  partner, 
with  a  fair  interest  in  the  business.  He  had  been 
honest  toward  his  employer,  because  he  saw  that 
through  him  there  was  a  chance  to  rise.  Honest  in 
heart  he  was  not,  for  he  never  scrupled  to  overreach 
a  customer. 

Edward  Claire,  as  we  have  remarked,  sighed  in- 
voluntarily. His  own  prospects  in  life  were  not 
what  are  called  flattering.  His  situation  with  Mr. 
Melleville  was  now  worth  five  hundred  dollars  a 
year,  but  his  family  had  increased,  and  with  the 
increase  had  come  neAV  wants.  The  condition  of 
Mr.  Melleville's  business  gave  him  no  encourage- 
ment to  hope  for  a  larger  income  while  in  his  service. 
Several  times  during  the  last  two  years  he  had  made 
application  for  vacant  places,  but  without  success. 
Sometimes  he  felt  restless  and  discouraged,  as  his 
vision  penetrated  the  future;  but  there  was  ever  a 
cheerful  light  at  home  that  daily  dispelled  the 
coming  shadows. 

Scarcely  had  the  sigh  lost  itself  on  the  air,  when 
a  hand  was  laid  on  his  arm,  and  an  old  acquaintance 
said — 

"  Ah,  Edward  !     How  are  you  ?" 

Claire  seeing  the  face  of  his  friend,  returned  the 
greeting  cordially. 

"What  have  you  been  doing  with  yourself?" 
asked  the  latter.  "  It  is  months,  I  believe,  since  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you." 

"Busy  all  day,"  returned  Clare,  "and  anchored 
at  home  in  the  evening.  So  the  time  is  passing." 

"Pleasantly  and  profitably,  I  hope,"  said  the 
friend. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  89 


"  Pleasantly  enough,  I  will  own,"  was  answered  ; 
"  as  to  the  profit — if  you  mean  in  a  money  sense — 
there  is  not  much  to  boast  of." 

"  You  are  still  with  Melleville  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  At  what  salary  ?" 

"Five  hundred." 

"  Is  that  all  ?     How  much  family  have  you  ?" 

"  Three  children  ;  or,  I  might  say  four  ;  but  the 
fourth  brings  us  three  hundred  dollars  a  year  for 
her  maintenance." 

"  That  is  something." 

"  Oh  yes.     It  is  quite  a  help." 

"  By  the  way,  Edward — the  new  store  we  just 
past  reminds  me  of  it — your  old  friend  Jasper  has 
just  given  one  of  his  clerks,  named  Parker,  an  in- 
terest in  his  business." 

"  So  I  am  aware." 

"Jasper  is  doing  first-rate." 

"  He  is  making  money,  I  believe." 

"  Coining  it.  The  fact  is,  Edward,  you  never 
should  have  left  him.  Had  you  kept  that  situation, 
you  would  have  been  the  partner  now.  And, 
by  the  way,  there  was  rather  a  strange  story  afloat 
at  the  time  you  took  it  into  your  head  to  leave 
Jasper." 

"  Ah  !  what  was  it  ?" 

"  It  is  said  that  you  thought  him  a  little  too  close 
in  his  dealings,  and  left  him  on  that  account.  I 
hadn't  given  you  credit  for  quite  so  tender  a  con- 
science. How  was  it,  Edward?" 

"  I  didn't  like  his  modes  of  doing  business,  and, 
therefore,  left  him.  So  far  you  heard  truly." 


90  TRUE   RICHES  ;   OR, 


"  But  what  had  you  to  do  with  his  modes  of  doing 
business  ?" 

"  A  great  deal.  As  one  of  his  employees,  I  was 
expected  to  carry  out  his  views." 

"  And  not  being  willing  to  do  that,  you  left  his 
service." 

"  That  is  the  simple  story." 

"  Excuse  me,  Edward,  but  I  can't  help  calling 
you  a  great  fool.  Just  see  how  you  have  stood  in 
your  own  light.  But  for  this  extra  bit  of  virtue, 
for  which  no  one  thinks  a  whit  the  better  of  you, 
you  might  this  day  have  been  on  the  road  to  fortune, 
instead  of  Parker." 

"  I  would  rather  be  in  my  own  position  than  in 
his,"  replied  Claire  firmly. 

"  You  would!"  His  companion  evinced  surprise. 
"  He  is  in  the  sure  road  to  wealth." 

"  But  not,  I  fear,  in  the  way  to  happiness." 

"  How  can  you  say  that,  Edward  ?" 

"  No  man,  who,  in  the  eager  pursuit  of  money, 
so  far  forgets  the  rights  of  others  as  to  trample  on 
them,  can  be  in  the  way  to  happiness." 

"  Then  you  think  he  tramples  on  the  rights  of 
others  ?" 

"I  know  but  little,  if  any  thing,  about  him,"  re-> 
plied  Claire;  "but  this  I  do  know,  that  unless  Leo- 
nard Jasper  be  a  different  man  from  what  he  was 
five  years  ago,  fair  dealing  between  man  and  man  is 
a  virtue  in  a  clerk  that  would  in  nowise  recommend 
him  to  the  position  of  an  associate  in  business. 
His  partner  must  be  shrewd,  sharp,  and  unscrupu- 
lous— a  lover  of  money  above  every  thing  else — a 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  91 


man  determined  to  rise,  no  matter  who  is  trampled 
down  or  destroyed  in  the  ascent." 

"  In  business  circles  such  men  are  by  no  means 
scarce." 

"  I  am  aware  of  it." 

"  And  it  is  unhesitatingly  affirmed  by  many  whom 
I  know,  that,  as  the  world  now  is,  no  really  honest 
man  can  trade  successfully." 

"  That  is  more  than  I  am  ready  to  admit." 
"  The  sharpest  and  shrewdest  get  on  the  best." 
"Because  it  is  easier  to  be  sharp  and  shrewd 
than  to  be  intelligent,  persevering,  industrious,  pa- 
tient, and  self-denying.     The  eagerness  to  get  rich 
fast  is  the  bane  of  trade.     I  am  quite  ready  to  ad- 
mit that  no  man  can  get  rich  at  railroad  speed,  and 
not  violate  the  law  of  doing  as  you  would  be  done 

bJ-" 

"Doing  as  you  would  be  done  by!  0  dear!" 
said  the  friend;  "you  certainly  don't  mean  to 
bring  that  law  down  into  the  actual  life  of  the 

11    O?  J 

world : 

"  It  would  be  a  happier  world  for  all  of  us  if  this 
law  were  universally  obeyed." 

"  That  may  be.  But,  where  all  are  selfish,  how 
is  it  possible  to  act  from  an  unselfish  principle?" 

"  Do  you  approve  of  stealing  ?"  said  Claire,  with 
some  abruptness. 

"  Of  course  not,"  was  the  half-indignant  answer. 

"  I  need  not  have  asked  the  question,  for  I  now 
remember  to  have  seen  the  fact  noticed  in  one  of 
our  papers,  that  an  unfaithful  domestic  in  your  fa- 
mily had  been  handed  over  to  the  police." 

"True.      She  was  a  thief.     We  found  in  her 


92  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


trunk  a  number  of  valuable  articles  that  she  had 
stolen  from  us." 

"  And  you  did  right.  You  owed  this  summary 
justice  as  well  to  the  purloiner  as  to  the  public. 
Now,  there  are  many  ways  of  stealing,  besides  this 
direct  mode.  If  I  deprive  you  of  your  property 
with  design,  I  steal  from  you.  Isn't  that  clear?" 

"Certainly." 

"  And  I  am,  to  use  plain  words,  a  thief.  Well, 
now  take  this  easily  to  be  understood  case.  I  have 
a  lot  of  goods  to  sell,  and  you  wish  to  purchase  them. 
In  the  trade  I  manage  to  get  from  you,  through  di- 
rect misrepresentation,  or  in  a  tacit  advantage  of 
your  ignorance,  more  than  the  goods  are  really 
worth.  Do  I  not  cheat  you  ?" 

"Undoubtedly." 

"  And  having  purposely  deprived  you  of  a  portion 
of  your  money,  am  I  not  a  thief?" 

"  In  all  that  goes  to  make  up  the  morality  of  the 
case,  you  are." 

"  The  truth,  unquestionably.  Need  I  proceed 
further  ?  By  your  own  admission,  every  business- 
man who  takes  undue  advantage  of  another  in  deal- 
ing, steals." 

"  Pretty  close  cutting,  that,  friend  Claire.  It 
wouldn't  do  to  talk  that  right  out  at  all  times  and 
in  all  places." 

"Why  not?'] 

"  I  rather  think  it  would  make  some  people  feel 
bad  ;  and  others  regard  themselves  as  insulted." 

"  I  can  believe  so.  But  we  are  only  talking  this 
between  ourselves.  And  now  I  come  back  to  my 
rather  abrupt  question — Do  you  approve  of  steal- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  93 


ing?  No,  you  say,  as  a  matter  of  course.  And 
yet,  you  but  just  now  were  inclined  to  justify  sharp 
dealing,  on  the  ground  that  all  were  sharpers — quot- 
ing the  saying  of  some,  that  no  honest  man  could 
trade  successfully  in  the  present  time.  For  the  di- 
rect stealing  of  a  few  articles  of  trifling  value,  you 
hand  a  poor,  ignorant  domestic  over  to  the  police, 
yet  feel  no  righteous  indignation  against  the  better- 
taught  man  of  business,  who  daily  robs  his  customers 
in  some  one  form  or  another." 

"  You  are  too  serious  by  far,  Edward,"  returned 
his  companion,  forcing  a  laugh.  "  Your  mind  has 
fallen  into  a  morbid  state.  But  you  will  get  over 
this  one  of  these  times.  Good  evening  !  Our  ways 
part  here.  Good  evening  !" 

And  the  young  man  turned  off  abruptly. 

"A  morbid  state,"  mused  Claire  to  himself,  as 
he  continued  on  alone.  "  So  thousands  would  say. 
But  is  it  so  ?  Is  honesty  or  dishonesty  the  morbid 
state  ?  How  direct  a  question !  How  plain  the 
answer !  Honesty  is  health — dishonesty  the  soul's 
sickness.  To  be  honest,  is  to  live  in  obedience  to 
social  and  divine  laws ;  dishonesty  is  the  violation 
of  these.  Is  it  possible  for  a  diseased  body  to  give 
physical  enjoyment  ?  No !  Nor  can  a  diseased 
mind  give  true  mental  enjoyment.  To  seek  happi- 
ness in  the  possession  of  wealth  obtained  through 
wrong  to  the  neighbour,  is  as  fruitless  as  to  seek 
bodily  pleasure  in  those  practices  which  inevitably 
destroy  the  health.  To  me,  this  is  self-evident,  and 
may  God  give  me  strength  to  live  according  to  my 
clear  convictions !" 

The  very  earnestness  with  which  Claire  mentall} 


94:  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


confirmed  himself  in  his  honest  convictions,  and 
especially  his  upward  looking  for  strength  in  con- 
scious weakness,  showed  that  his  mind  was  in  tempt- 
ation. He  had  felt  somewhat  depressed  during  the 
day,  in  view  of  his  external  relation  to  the  world ; 
and  this  feeling  was  increased  by  his  observation  of 
the  fact  that  Parker  had  been  advanced  to  the  po- 
sition of  a  partner  to  his  old  employer.  It  seemed 
like  a  reward  for  unfair  dealing,  while  honesty  was 
suffered  to  remain  poor.  The  young  man's  en- 
lightened reason — enlightened  during  five  years' 
earnest  search  after  and  practice  of  higher  truths 
than  govern  in  the  world's  practice — strongly  com- 
bated all  the  false  arguments  that  were  presented 
to  his  mind,  during  this  season  of  his  overshadowing. 
The  combat  was  severe,  and  still  continued  on  his 
arrival  at  home — causing  his  mind  to  be  in  a  mea- 
sure depressed. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  increase  of  Claire's  family  had  caused  him, 
some  time  before,  to  remove  from  the  two  comfort- 
able rooms  in  which  were  passed  the  first  pleasant 
years  of  his  married  life.  He  now  occupied  a  small 
house  in  a  retired  street,  the  rent  of  which,  though 
moderate,  drew  pretty  heavily  on  his  income.  But 
he  had  managed,  through  the  prudent  co-operation 
of  his  wife,  not  only  to  keep  even  with  the  world, 
but  to  lay  by  a  small  sum  of  money. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  95 


Few  homes,  in  the  large  city  wherein  dwelt  this 
obscure  family,  were  so  full  of  all  the  elements  of 
happiness.  If,  sometimes,  the  spirit  of  Claire  was 
overshadowed  by  passing  clouds — as  would  unavoid- 
ably happen  from  his  contact  with  the  world,  and  his 
own  variant  states — the  evening's  return  to  the  bo- 
som of  his  family,  generally  made  all  bright  again. 

Little  Fanny  Elder,  now  ten  years  of  age,  had 
been  steadily  growing  into  his  affections  from  the 
first.  It  is  questionable  whether  his  love  for  his 
own  children  was  a  purer  passion.  Older,  by  several 
years,  than  Edith,  she  had  been  to  him  more  com- 
panionable ;  and  had  ever  greeted  his  return  at 
evening  with  warmer  expressions  of  pleasure  than 
were  manifested  by  Edith,  or  the  two  younger 
children  who  had  been  added  to  the  number  of  his 
household  treasures. 

On  this  evening,  as  Claire  drew  nearer  and  nearer 
to  his  home,  and  his  thoughts  began  to  make  pictures 
of  the  scene  within,  its  light  and  warmth  penetrated 
his  feelings,  and  when  he  opened,  at  length,  the  door, 
he  was  himself  again. 

First  to  bound  into  his  arms  was  Fanny  Elder. 
What  a  beautiful,  fairy-like  creature  she  was  !  HOAV 
more  than  fulfilled  the  promise  of  her  early  child- 
hood !  Next  came  Edith,  now  six  years  of  age,  side 
by  side  with  her  brother  Harry,  a  wild  little  rogue, 
and  were  only  a  few  seconds  behind  Fanny  in  throw- 
ing themselves  upon  their  father ;  while  little  baby 
Mary,  as  she  sat  on  the  carpet,  fluttered  her  tiny 
arms,  and  crowed  out  her  joyous  welcome. 

What  a  merry  romp  they  all  had  for  the  next  two 
or  three  minutes.  When  quiet  came  back  again, 


96  TRUE  RICHES;  OR. 


baby  was  sitting  on  one  knee,  Harry  on  the  other, 
and  Fanny  leaning  her  face  on  the  shoulder  of  her 
"father" — for  so  she  called  him  with  the  rest — 
while  her  glossy  curls  were  resting  in  sunny  clusters 
upon  his  bosom.  The  memory  of  the  child's  former 
home  and  parents  seemed  to  have  faded  almost  en- 
tirely. If  the  past  ever  came,  back  to  her,  like  a 
dream,  with  its  mingled  web  of  sunshine  and  tears, 
she  never  spoke  of  it.  Fully  had  she  been  taken 
into  the  hearts  and  home  of  her  new  parents ;  and 
she  rested  there  as  one  having  a  right  to  her  posi- 
tion. 

And  the  pure  spirit  who  presided  over  this  little 
Paradise,  where  was  she  ?  Present — observing  all, 
and  sharing  in  the  delight  her  husband's  return  had 
occasioned.  The  expected  kiss  had  not  long  been 
kept  from  her  loving  lips. 

Happy  household !  What  have  its  inmates  to  envy 
in  those  around  them?  Within  the  circle  of  many 
squares  were  none  so  rich  in  all  the  elements  of  hap- 
piness. 

Soon  after  the  evening  meal  was  over,  the  chil- 
dren, after  another  merry  romp  with  their  father, 
went  off  to  -be'd.  When  Mrs.  Claire  returned  from 
the  chamber,  whither  she  had  accompanied  them, 
she  held  a  letter  in  her  hand. 

"I  had  forgotten  all  about  this  letter,  Edward," 
said  she.  "  It  was  left  here  for  you,  this  afternoon." 

Claire  took  the  letter  and  broke  the  seal,  running 
his  eye  down  to  the  signature  as  he  unfolded  it. 

"  Leonard  Jasper !     What  is  this  ?" 

His  brow  contracted  instantly,  as  he  commenced 
reading  the  letter.  It  was  brief,  and  in  these  words — 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  97 


"MR.  EDAVARD  CLAIRE — Sir:  From  this  time  I 
will  relieve  you  of  the  burden  of  my  ward,  Fanny 
Elder.  Mrs.  Jasper  and  myself  have  determined  to 
take  her  into  our  own  family,  in  order  that  we  may 
give  the  needful  care  to  her  education.  Call  around 
and  see  me  to-morrow,  and  we  will  arrange  this  mat- 
ter. Yours,  &c.  LEONARD  JASPER." 

The  face  of  the  young  man  had  become  pale  by 
the  time  he  had  finished  reading  this  letter ;  but 
that  of  his  wife,  who  did  not  yet  know  a  word  of  its 
contents,  was  almost  white — the  effect  produced  on 
her  husband  filling  her  with  a  vague  alarm. 

"What  is  it, Edward?"  she  asked,  in  a  low,  eager 
whisper. 

"Jasper  wants  us  to  give  up  Fanny." 

Edith  sank  into  a  chair,  exclaiming — 

"Oh,  Edward!" 

"But  she  is  only  ten  years  of  age,"  said  the  hus- 
band, "  and  our  contract  is  to  keep  her  until  she  is 
twelve." 

"  We  cannot  give  her  up,"  murmured  Edith,  tears 
already  beginning  to  flow  over  her  cheeks.  "  I  ne- 
ver thought  of  this.  What  can  it  mean?" 

"  Some  sudden  determination  on  the  part  of  Jas- 
per, and  based  on  nothing  good,"  was  the  reply. 
"  But,  as  I  said,  our  contract  is  binding  until  Fanny 
is  twelve  years  of  age,  and  I  will  never  consent  to 
its  being  broken.  He  was  over  anxious  to  hold  me 
in  writing.  He  did  not  value  his  own  word,  and 
would  not  trust  mine.  It  was  well.  The  dear  child 
shall  remain  where  she  is." 

"  But,  after  she  is  twelve,  Edward  ?  What  then  ? 
9 


98 


TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


Oh,  I  can  never  part  with  her,"  said  Mrs.  Claire, 
now  weeping  freely. 

"  Two  years  will  pass  ere  that  time.  Jasper  may 
have  other  purposes  in  view  when  our  present  con- 
tract expires." 

"You  will  see  him  in  the  morning?" 

"  0  yes.  I  must  understand  all  about  this  mat- 
ter. What  can  it  mean  ?  '  Needful  care  to  her 
education  !'  A  mere  hypocritical  pretence.  What 
does  he  care  for  her,  or  her  education  ?  What,  in 
fact,  does  he  know  of  her  ?  Nothing  at  all.  Has 
he  ever  called  to  see  her  ?  Has  he  ever  made  the  first 
inquiry  after  her  ?  No.  There  is  something  wrong, 
without  doubt.  This  movement  bodes  no  good  to 
our  dear  child.  But  she  has  one  friend  who  will 
stand  between  her  and  harm — who  will  protect  her, 
if  need  be,  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life." 

Claire,  as  his  words  indicate,  had  suffered  himself 
to  become  much  excited.  Seeing  this,  his  wife  re- 
covered, to  some  extent,  her  own  self-possession,  and 
spoke  to  him  soothingly. 

"We  will  wait  and  see  what  it  means,"  said  she. 
"  Mr.  Jasper  cannot  force  her  away  from  us  now,  if 
he  would." 

"  After  seeing  him  to-morrow,  you  can  understand 
better  what  we  are  to  expect.  This  note  may  have 
been  written  from  some  momentary  feeling.  I  can- 
not think  that  he  has  a  settled  purpose  to  take  the 
child  from  us." 

"  Time  will  show,"  was  the  abstracted  response. 

Not  for  years  had  so  unhappy  an  evening  been 
spent  by  Edward  Claire  and  his  wife;  and  when 


WEALTH   WITHOUT    WINGS.  99 


they  retired,  it  was  to  pass  the  night  in  broken  inter- 
vals of  sleep. 

Early  on  the  next  morning,  Claire  called  at  the 
store  of  Jasper,  who  received  him  with  cold  polite- 
ness, and  at  once  came  to  the  matter  uppermost  in 
both  their  thoughts,  by  saying — 

"You  received  my  note?" 

"I  did,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well  ?     All  right,  I  suppose  ?" 

"Fanny  is  not  twelve  years  of  age  yet!" 

"  Isn't  she  ?  Well,  what  of  that  ?"  There  was 
some  impatience  in  the  manner  of  Jasper. 

"I  agreed  to  take  the  care  of  her  until  she  was 
twelve." 

"Well — well — suppose  you  did?  I'm  her  guar- 
dian, and  wish  to  have  her  now  in  my  own  family.  If 
you  agreed  to  keep  her,  I  did  not  say  that  she  should 
positively  remain." 

"  There  was  a  contract  signed  to  that  effect," 
firmly  replied  Claire. 

"  A  contract !     Humph !     Are  you  sure  ?" 

"Very  sure.     You  drew  it  yourself." 

"  Have  you  a  copy  of  it  ?" 

"I  have." 

Jasper  seemed  thrown  aback  by  this.  He  had  not 
forgotten  the  contract,  for  all  his  affected  ignorance 
thereof.  He  only  hoped  that  Edward  had,  through 
carelessness,  lost  his  copy.  But  he  was  mistaken. 

"A  contract!  A  contract?"  said  Jasper,  as  if 
communing  with  his  own  thoughts.  "  I  do  remem- 
ber, now,  something  of  the  kind.  And  so  there  was 
a  written  contract?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  have  a  copy  in  your  own  hand." 


100  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  And  I  am  to  understand,  Edward,  that  notwith- 
standing my  wish,  as  the  child's  legal  guardian,  and, 
therefore,  the  representative  of  her  parents,  to  have 
her  in  my  own  family,  that  you  will  interpose  a 
hasty-signed  contract  i" 

"Mr.  Jasper,"  said  the  young  man,  changing  his 
manner,  "  we  have  had  this  child  in  our  family  for 
over  five  years,  and  have  grown  strongly  attached 
to  her.  In  fact,  she  seems  to  us  as  one  of  our  own 
children ;  and  we,  to  her,  are  in  the  place  of  parents. 
To  remove  her  would,  therefore,  be  doing  a  great 
violence  to  our  feelings,  and  I  know  it  would  make 
her  unhappy.  Let  her  remain  where  she  is,  and 
you  may  rest  assured  that  she  will  be  cared  for  as 
tenderly  as  our  own." 

"No,  Edward,  it  is  no  use  to  talk  of  that,"  re- 
plied Jasper,  positively.  "  I  wish,  now,  to  have  her 
in  my  own  family,  and  trust  that  you  will  not  stand 
for  a  moment  in  the  way." 

"But,  Mr.  Jasper" 

"  It  will  be  of  no  avail  to  argue  the  point,  Ed- 
ward," said  the  merchant,  interrupting  him.  "I 
was  fully  in  earnest  when  I  wrote  to  you,  and  am 
no  less  in  earnest  now.  I  am  certainly  entitled  to 
the  possession  of  my  ward,  and  will  not  bear,  pa- 
tiently, any  attempt  on  your  part  to  deprive  me  of 
that  right." 

There  was  an  angry  quivering  of  the  lips,  and  a 
stern  knitting  of  the  brows,  on  the  part  of  Jasper, 
as  he  closed  this  emphatic  sentence.  Claire  felt  ex- 
cited, yet  was  so  fully  conscious  of  the  necessity  of 
self-control,  that  he  quieted  down  his  feelings,  and 
endeavoured  to  think  calmly. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  101 


"Well,  what  do  you  say  ?"  imperatively  demanded 
Jasper,  after  waiting  some  moments  for  a  reply. 

"We  cannot  part  with  the  child,"  said  the  young 
man,  in  a  low,  appealing  voice. 

"You  must  part  with  her  !"  was  the  quick,  reso- 
lute response. 

"  Must  ?  That  is  a  strong  word,  Mr.  Jasper." 
Claire's  manner  underwent  another  change,  as  was 
shown  by  the  firm  compression  of  his  lips,  and  the 
steady  gaze  of  his  eyes,  as  he  fixed  them  on  the 
merchant. 

"I  know  it  is  strong,  but  no.  stronger  than  my 
purpose ;  and  I  warn  you  not  to  stand  in  my  way. 
I've  got  an  old  grudge  against  you,  so  don't  provoke 
me  too  far  in  this  matter.  A  pretty  affair,  indeed, 
when  you  attempt  to  come  between  me  and  my  legal 
rights  and  duties." 

"Duties!"  There  was  a  stinging  contempt  in 
the  young  man's  voice.  The  manner  of  Jasper  had 
chafed  him  beyond  all  manner  of  self-control. 

"You  forget  to  whom  you  are  speaking,"  said 
the  latter,  offended  now,  as  well  as  angry.  "  But 
we  will  not  bandy  words.  Will  you,  without  fur- 
ther trouble,  give  into  my  hands  the  child  of  Mr. 
Elder?" 

"  I  cannot  do  it,  Mr.  Jasper." 

"  Speak  positively.  Will  you,  or  will  you  not  do 
as  I  wish?" 

"I  will  not,"  was  the  decided  answer. 

"  Enough."  And  Jasper  turned  away,  muttering 
in  an  undertone,  "  We'll  soon  see  who  is  to  be  mas- 
ter here." 

Claire  lingered  a  short  time,  but,  as  Jasper  showed 


102  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


no  disposition  to  renew  the  conversation,  he  left 
the  store,  greatly  disturbed  and  troubled  in  his 
mind. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

WHEN  Edward  Claire  and  his  wife  drew  together 
on  the  evening  of  that  day,  after  the  children  were 
in  bed,  both  were  calmer  than  at  their  previous  in- 
terview on  a  subject  that  necessarily  brought  with 
it  strong  excitement  of  feeling.  Both  had  thought 
much  and  felt  much,  and  were  now  prepared  to  look 
calmly  at  the  new  relation  affairs  had  so  suddenly 
assumed.  At  dinner-time,  Edward  had  related  the 
substance  of  his  interview  with  Jasper. 

"  What  can  he  do  ?"  asked  Edith,  referring  now 
to  the  muttered  threat  of  that  individual. 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  can  do  any  thing  more 
than  withhold  the  regular  sums  heretofore  paid  for 
the  support  of  Fanny.  If  he  does  that,  I  will  col- 
lect them  legally." 

"  Can't  he  take  her  away  by  force  ?  Won't  the 
law  compel  us  to  give  her  up  ?"  asked  Edith,  in  a 
troubled  voice. 

"  Our  contract  gives  us  a  right  to  her  possession 
until  she  is  twelve  years  of  age.  In  that,  the  law 
will  undoubtedly  sustain  us." 

"  The  law  is  very  uncertain,  Edward." 

"  But  our  contract  is  plainly  worded,  and,  in  this 
State,  private  written  contracts  between  parties  to 
an  agreement  are  good  in  law.  At  best,  however, 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS. 


•we  can  only  keep  her  two  years  longer ;  that  ig 
what  troubles  me  most." 

"  We  must  do  our  duty  by  her,"  said  Edith,  en- 
deavouring to  speak  calmly,  "during  that  time; 
and  wean  our  hearts  from  her  as  much  as  possible, 
so  that  the  giving  of  her  up,  when  it  has  to  be 
done,  will  cause  a.s  little  grief  as  possible.  Poor 
child  !  It  will  be  hard  for  her  to  leave  us,  and  go 
to  her  new  home.  That  thought  is  beginning  to 
pain  me  most." 

"  And  such  a  home  !  I  have  seen  Mrs.  Jasper 
frequently,  and,  if  my  observation  is  correct,  she  is 
no  true  woman.  Dress,  it  seemed  to  me,  was  all 
she  cared  for ;  and  there  was  a  captiousness  and  ill- 
temper  about  her,  at  times,  that  was,  to  say  the 
least  of  it,  very  unbecoming." 

"  And  to  her  care  we  must  resign  this  precious 
one,"  said  Edith,  with  a  sigh.  "  Oh,  how  the  thought 
pains  me !  Dear,  dear  child  !" 

"  The  time  is  yet  distant,"  remarked  Claire — 
"  distant  by  nearly  two  years.  Let  it  be  our  duty 
to  prepare  her  as  fully  for  the  new  relation  as  pos- 
sible. Two  years  is  a  long  time — many  changes 
will  take  place,  and  among  them,  it  may  be,  a 
change  in  the  purpose  of  Mr.  Jasper.  We  will  hope 
for  this,  at  least ;  yet  wisely  prepare  for  a  different 
result." 

"  As  things  now  appear,  I  do  not  see  what  else 
remains  for  us  to  do.  Ah  me  !  How  like  light- 
ning from  a  summer  sky  has  this  flashed  sud- 
denly over  us.  But,  Edward,  we  must  not,  in 
the  strong  trial  of  our  natural  feelings,  pei'mit 
ourselves  to  forget  that  dear  Fanny  is  in  the 


104  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


higher  guardianship  of  One  who  is  infinitely  wise 
and  good.  If  she  is  to  pass  from  our  care  to  that 
of  Mr.  Jasper  and  his  family,  it  is  through  His 
permission,  and  He  will  bring  out  of  it  good  to 

"I  can  see  that  in  my  understanding,  Edith," 
replied  her  husband;  "but,  it  is  hard  to  feel  that  it 
is  so." 

"  Very  hard,  Edward.  Yet,  it  is  something — a 
great  deal — to  have  the  truth  to  lean  upon,  even 
though  it  seems  to  bend  under  our  weight.  Oh ! 
without  this  truth,  it  seems  as  if  I  would  now  fall 
to  the  ground  helpless.  But,  let  us  try  and  view 
this  painful  subject  in  its  brightest  aspect.  It  is 
our  duty  to  the  child  to  keep  her,  if  we  can,  until 
she  passes  her  twelfth  year." 

"  Clearly,"  replied  the  husband. 

"  And  you  think  we  can  do  so  ?" 

"  We  have  two  advantages — possession  and  a 
written  contract  guaranteeing  the  possession." 

"  True." 

"  These  on  our  side,  I  think  we  have  little  to 
fear  from  Jasper.  The  great  trial  will  come  after- 
ward." 

To  this  conclusion,  that  is,  to  retain  Fanny 
until  her  twelfth  year,  if  possible — they  came, 
after  once  more  carefully  reviewing  the  whole  sub- 
ject; and,  resting  here,  they  patiently  awaited  the 
result. 

With  what  a  new  interest  was  the  child  regarded 
from  this  time  !  How  the  hearts  of  Claire  and  his 
wife  melted  toward  her  on  all  occasions!  She 
seemed  to  grow,  daily,  more  and  more  into  their  af- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  105 


factions ;  and,  what  to  them  appeared  strange — it 
might  only  have  been  imagination — manifested  a 
more  clinging  tenderness,  as  if  conscious  of  the 
real  truth. 

Weeks  elapsed  and  nothing  further  was  heard 
from  Jasper.  Claire  and  his  wife  began  to  hope 
that  he  would  make  no  attempt  to  separate  Fanny 
from  them ;  at  least  not  until  her  twelfth  year. 
Let  us  turn  to  him,  and  see  what  he  is  doing,  or 
proposing  to  do,  in  the  case. 

Two  or  three  days  subsequent  to  the  time  when 
Claire  received  the  notification  from  Jasper,  just  re- 
ferred to,  two  men  sat,  in  close  conference,  in  the 
office  of  an  attorney  noted  for  his  legal  intelligence, 
but  more  noted  for  his  entire  want  of  principle. 
For  a  good  fee,  he  would  undertake  any  case,  and 
gain  for  his  client,  if  possible,  no  matter  how  great 
the  wrong  that  was  done.  His  name  was  Grind. 
The  two  men  here  introduced,  were  this  lawyer  and 
Jasper. 

"  Do  you  really  think,"  said  the  latter,  "  that,  in 
the  face  of  my  guardianship,  he  can  retain  posses- 
sion of  the  child?" 

"  He  has,  you  say,  a  copy  of  this  contract  ?" 
Grind  held  a  sheet  of  paper  in  his  hand. 

"  Yes.  To  think  that  I  was  such  a  fool  as  to 
bind  myself  in  this  way  !  But  I  did  not  dream,  for 
a  moment,  that  things  were  going  to  turn  up  as 
they  have." 

"  It  is  a  contract  that  binds  you  both,"  said  the 
lawyer,  "  and  I  do  not  see  that  you  can  go  round 
it." 


106  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"I  must  go  round  it  !"  replied  Jasper,  warmly. 
"  You  know  all  the  quirks  and  windings  of  the  law, 
and  I  look  to  you  for  help  in  this  matter.  The 
possession  of  that  child,  is,  to  me,  a  thing  of  the 
first  importance." 

"  After  two  years  she  will  come  into  your  hands 
without  trouble,  Mr.  Jasper.  Why  not  wait?" 

"  Wait !  I  will  not  hear  the  word.  No  !  no  !  I 
must  have  her  now." 

"  The  law  will  not  give  her  to  you,  Mr.  Jasper," 
returned  Grind,  with  the  utmost  self-possession. 
"  The  contract  is  clearly  expressed ;  and  it  is 
binding." 

"Is  there  no  way  to  accomplish  my  end?"  said 
Jasper,  impatiently.  "  There  must  be.  I  cannot 
be  foiled  in  this  matter.  Even  pride  would  forbid 
this.  But,  there  are  stronger  motives  than  pride  at 
work  now." 

"  Can  you  allege  ill-treatment  against  the  young 
man  or  his  wife  ?  Or  neglect  of  your  ward's  com- 
fort ?  Have  they  failed  to  do  their  <.  'ity  by  her  in 
any  respect?" 

"  I  should  not  wonder  ;  but,  unfortunately,  I  can 
prove  nothing." 

"You  might  call  for  an  investigation." 

"  And  if  every  thing  was  proved  right  on  their 
part?" 

"  The  court  would,  most  probably,  return  the 
child  to  their  care.  I  am  ready  to  take  all  neces- 
sary steps  for  you  ;  but,  Mr.  Jasper,  I  very  strong- 
ly incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  least  noise  you 
make  in  this  matter,  the  better.  Couldn't  you — for 
a  consideration  in  money,  for  instance — overcome 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  107 


the  reluctance  of  Claire  and  his  wife  to  part  with 
the  child  ?  Honey,  you  know,  catches  more  flies 
than  vinegar." 

"  Buy  him  off,  you  mean  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  No — no  !  I  hate  him  too  cordially  for  that. 
He's  a  villairuin  disguise  ;  that's  my  opinion  of  him. 
A  low,  canting  hypocrite.  Buy  him  off  for  moneyf 
Oh  no  !" 

"  Could  he  be  bought  ?"  asked  the  lawyer. 

"  Could  he  ?"     A  flush  of  surprise  lit  up,  for  a 
moment,  the  face  of  Jasper.     "  What  a  question  for 
ou  to  ask.    Hasn't  every  man  his  price  ?  Bought ! 

es,  I  could  buy  him  fifty  times  over." 

"  Then  do  so,  and  in  the  quietest  manner.  That 
is  my  advice." 

'I'll  steal  the  child!"  exclaimed  Jasper,  rising 
in  his  excitement,  and  moving  uneasily  about 
the  room. 

Grind  shook  his  head,  as  he  replied — 

"  All  folly.  No  man  ever*  did  a  wise  thing  while 
he  was  in  a  passion.  You  must  permit  yourself  to 
cool  down  a  great  many  degrees  before  you  can  act 
judiciously  in  this  matter." 

"  But  to  be  thwarted  by  him  !"  An  expression 
of  the  deepest  disgust  was  in  the  face  of  Jasper. 

"All  very  annoying,  of  course,"  was  the  re- 
sponse of  Grind.  "  Still,  where  we  can't  make 
things  bend  exactly  to  our  wishes,  it  is  generally 
the  wisest  policy  to  bend  a  little  ourselves.  We 
often,  in  this  way,  gain  a  purchase  that  enables  us 
to  bring  all  over  to  our  side." 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Grind,  in  giving  his 


e 


up 
th< 


108  TRUE    RICHES  ;    OR, 


client  advice  that  was  to  prevent  an  appeal  to  law, 
did  so  from  any  unselfish  friendliness.  Nothing  of 
the  kind.  He  saw  a  great  deal  to  gain,  beyond ; 
and,  in  his  advice,  regarded  his  own  interests  quite 
as  much  as  he  did  those  of  Jasper.  He  was  not, 
however,  at  this  interview,  able  to  induce  the  mer- 
chant to  attempt  to  settle  the  matter  with  Claire 
by  compromise.  The  most  he  could  do  was  to  get 
him  to  promise,  that,  for  the  present,  he  would 
make  no  effort  to  get  the  person  of  the  child  into 
his  possession. 

Jasper,  when  he  left  his  lawyer,  was  less  satisfied 
with  him  than  he  had  ever  been.  In  previous  cases, 
he  had  found  Grind  ready  to  prosecute  or  defend, 
and  to  promise  him  the  fullest  success — though 
success  did  not  always  come. 

Several  more  consultations  were  held  during  the 
succeeding  two  or  three  weeks,  and,  finally,  Jasper 
was  brought  over  fully  to  his  lawyer's  way  of 
thinking. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  minds  of  Claire  and  his  wife  were  yet  in  a 
state  of  suspense,  when,  some  weeks  after  the  first 
interview,  the  former  received  a  politely  worded 
note  from  Jasper,  requesting  him  to  call  at  his  store. 
He  went,  accordingly,  and  Jasper  received  him 
with  marked  suavity  and  kindness  of  manner,  and, 
after  making  a  few  inquiries  about  his  family, 
said— 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  109 


"  Edward :  I  believe  I  must  confess  to  having 
been  a  little  over-excited  at  our  last  interview.  The 
fact  is,  I  had  forgotten  all  about  that  contract ; 
and  when  you  brought  it  to  my  mind  so  abruptly, 
I  was  thrown  somewhat  off  of  my  guard,  and  said 
things  for  which  I  have  since  felt  regret.  So 
let  what  is  past  go.  I  now  wish  to  have  another 
talk  with  you  about  Fanny  Elder.  How  is  the 
child?" 

"  She  is  very  well." 

"  And  she  has  grown,  I  presume,  finely  ?" 

"  Yes.     She's  now  quite  a  stout  girl." 

"  What  kind  of  a  child  is  she  ?  Docile  and  obe- 
dient?" 

"None  could  be  more  so.  A  sweeter  disposition 
1  have  never  seen." 

"  How  are  you  getting  on  now,  Edward?"  Mr. 
Jasper's  voice  was  kind  and  insinuating. 

"  Comfortably,"  was  answered. 

"  What  is  your  salary?" 

There  was  a  momentary  hesitation  on  the  part  of 
Claire,  and  then  he  replied — 

"  Five  hundred  dollars." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  I  was  under  the  impression  that 
you  received  a  thousand.  I  am  very  certain  that 
some  one  told  me  so.  Too  little,  Edward — too  little. 
You  are  worth  more  than  that  to  any  one.  Are 
you  acquainted  at  Edgar  &  Co.'s?" 

"No." 

"  I  wish  you  were.  One  of  their  young  men  is 
going  to  leave,  and  they  will  have  to  fill  his  place 
immediately.  The  salary  is  twelve  hundred." 

Claire's  heart  gave  a  quick  bound. 
10 


110  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Shall  I  speak  to  Edgar  for  you?"  added  the 
merchant.. 

"  If  you  will  do  so,  Mr.  Jasper,"  said  Edward, 
with  a  sudden  earnestness  of  manner,  "  I  shall  be 
greatly  indebted  to  you.  I  find  it  a  little  difficult  to 
get  along  on  five  hundred  dollars  a  year." 

"  How  much  family  have  you  now  ?" 

"  Three  children." 

"  Indeed.  Oh  yes,  you  should  have  a  higher  sa- 
lary. I  know  you  would  just  suit  Edgar  &  Co.,  and 
I  think  the  place  may  be  secured  for  you." 

A  few  moments  of  silence  followed,  and  then  Jas- 
per resumed — 

"  But,  as  just  said,  I  wish  to  talk  with  you  about 
this  ward  of  mine.  Your  salary  is  so  light  that  you, 
no  doubt,  find  the  income  received  through  her  quite 
a  help  to  you?" 

"  No — no,"  replied  Claire ;  "  it  costs  for  her  board- 
ing, clothes,  schooling,  etc.,  quite  as  much  as  we  re- 
ceive." 

"  It  does  ?"     Jasper  manifested  some  surprise. 

"  Oh  yes.  We  have  no  wish  to  make  any  profit 
out  of  her." 

"That  being  the  case,  Edward,"  said  the  mer- 
chant, "why  are  you  so  reluctant  to  give  her  up  ?" 

"  Because,"  was  the  reply,  "  both  myself  and  wife 
have  become  strongly  attached  to  her.  In  fact,  she 
seems  like  one  of  our  own  children." 

"When  she  is  twelve,  you  know,"  Edward,  re- 
turned Jasper,  "you  will  have  to  resign  her.  Our 
agreement  only  extends  to  that  time."  He  spoke 
in  a  mild,  insinuating,  friendly  tone  of  voice.  So 
much  so,  ,in  fact,  that  Claire,  well  as  he  knew 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  Ill 


him,  was  partially  deceived  and  thrown  off  of  his 
guard. 

"  True ;  unless  you  have  seen  reason  by  that  time, 
which  we  hope  will  be  the  case,  to  let  her  remain  in 
her  present  home.  Believe  me,  Mr.  Jasper," — Claire 
spoke  earnestly — "  that  Fanny  will  take  the  parting 
very  hard,  if  ever  it  comes." 

"  As  come  it  must,  Edward,  sooner  or  later,"  was 
the  mild,  yet  firm  response. 

"Are  you  so  earnest  about  this,  Mr.  Jasper?  I 
have  flattered  myself  that  you  did  not  really  care  a 
great  deal  about  having  Fanny." 

"  I  am  entirely  in  earnest,  Edward,"  was  the  re- 
ply. "  I  may  have  seemed  to  you  indifferent  about 
this  child,  but  such  has  not  been  the  case.  I  have 
feelings  and  purposes  in  regard  to  her  which  I  can- 
not explain,  but  which  are  near  my  heart.  I  see 
your  position  and  that  of  your  wife,  and  I  feel  for 
you.  If  compatible  with  what  I  conceive  to  be  my 
duty,  I  would  let  her  remain  under  your  care.  But 
such  is  not  the  case.  Surely,  it  will  be  far  better 
for  both  you  and  Fanny  for  the  change  that  must 
come  to  be  made  now." 

The  calm,  kind,  insinuating  manner  of  Jasper 
disarmed  Claire,  and  made  him  wish  that  he  could 
meet  the  desire  of  his  old  employer,  without  the 
painful  breach  in  his  home  circle  which  must  be  the 
consequence.  With  his  eyes  cast  upon  the  floor,  he 
sat  silently  communing  with  his  own  thoughts  for 
some  time.  The  announcement  of  a  vacancy  in  the 
house  of  Edgar  &  Co.,  and  the  offer  to  try  and  get 
the  situation  for  him,  had  flattered  his  mind  consi- 
derably. If  he  did  not  make  some  compromise  in  the 


112  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 

present  case,  he  could  count  nothing  on  the  influence 
of  Jasper.  But,  how  could  he  compromise  ?  There 
was  but  one  way — to  give  up  Fanny — and  that  he 
was  not  prepared  to  do. 

Seeing  that  the  young  man  remained  silent,  Jas- 
per said — 

"  Edward,  I  will  make  you  this  very  liberal  offer. 
Understand,  now,  that  I  am  deeply  in  earnest — 
that  the  possession  of  Fanny  is  a  thing  of  great  mo- 
ment to  me ;  and  that  to  gain  this  desired  object,  I 
am  prepared  to  go  very  far.  If  you  will  meet  me 
in  a  spirit  of  compromise,  I  will  become  as  I  was 
gome  years  ago,  your  friend ;  and  I  have  the  ability 
to  aid  any  one  materially.  As  just  said,  I  will  make 
you  thia  liberal  offer : — Let  me  have  the  child  now, 
and  for  the  next  two  years  I  will  pay  you  the  same 
that  you  have  been  receiving  for  her  maintenance." 

Claire  lifted  his  head  quickly.  There  was  already 
a  flush  on  his  cheeks  and  a  sharp  light  in  his  eyes. 

"Stay — one  moment,"  interrupted  Jasper,  who 
saw  by  the  motion  of  his  lips  that  he  was  about  re- 
plying. "  I  will  pay  you  the  whole  sum,  six  hun- 
dred dollars,  in  advance,  and,  in  addition  thereto, 
pledge  myself  to  procure  for  you,  within  three 
months,  a  situation  worth  a  thousand  dollars  per 
annum,  at  least." 

This  was  too  broad  an  attempt  to  buy  over  the 
young  man,  and  it  failed.  Starting  to  his  feet,  with 
a  feeling  of  indignation  in  his  heart  so  strong  that 
he  could  not  repress  it,  he  answered,  with  knit  brows 
and  eyes  fixed  sternly  and  steadily  on  the  merchant — 

"  Leonard  Jasper  !  I  thought  you  knew  me  better ! 
I  am  not  to  be  bought  with  your  money." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  113 


As  sudden  was  the  change  that  passed  over  the 
merchant.  He,  too,  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  con- 
scious that  his  offer  of  bribery,  which  he  had  humi- 
liated himself  to  make,  had  failed,  with  clenched 
hand  and  set  teeth,  he  fairly  hissed  out — 

"  You'll  rue  this  day  and  hour,  Edward  Claire — 
rue  it  even  to  the  moment  of  death !  I  will  never 
forget  nor  forgive  the  wrong  and  insult.  Don't 
think  to  escape  me — don't  think  to  foil  me.  The 
child  is  mine  by  right,  and  I  will  have  her,  come 
what  will." 

Feeling  how  useless  it  would  be  to  multiply  words, 
Claire  turned  away  and  left  the  store.  He  did  not 
go  home  immediately,  as  he  had  thought  of  doing, 
in  order  to  relieve  the  suspense  of  his  wife,  who  was, 
he  knew,  very  anxious  to  learn  for  what  purpose 
Jasper  had  sent  for  him ;  but  went  to  his  place  of 
business  and  laid  the  whole  substance  of  his  inter- 
view before  his  fast  friend,  Mr.  Melleville,  whose 
first  response  was  one  of  indignation  at  the  offer 
made  by  Jasper  to  buy  him  over  to  his  wishes  with 
money.  He  then  said — 

"  There  is  something  wrong  here,  depend  upon  it. 
Was  there  much  property  left  by  the  child's  pa- 
rents ?" 

"  Two  houses  in  the  city." 

"Was  that  all?" 

"  All,  I  believe,  of  any  value.  There  was  a  tract 
of  land  somewhere  in  the  State,  taken  for  debt ;  but 
it  was  considered  of  little  account." 

"  Regard  for  the  child  has  nothing  to  do  with  this 
movement,"  remarked  Mr.  Melleville.     "  The  cha- 
racter of  Jasper  precludes  the  supposition." 
10* 


114  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  Entirely.  What  can  it  mean  ?  The  thing  comes 
on  me  so  suddenly  that  I  am  bewildered." 

Claire  was  distressed. 

"You  are  still  firm  in  your  purpose  to  keep 
Fanny  until  she  is  twelve  years  old  ?" 

"As  firm  as  ever,  Mr.  Melleville.  I  love  the 
child  too  well  to  give  her  up.  If  a  higher  good  to  her 
were  to  be  secured,  then  I  might  yield — then  it 
would  be  my  duty  to  yield.  But,  now,  every  just 
and  humane  consideration  calls  on  me  to  abide  by 
my  purpose — and  there  I  will  abide." 

"In  my  mind  you  are  fully  justified,"  was  the 
reply  of  Mr.  Melleville.  "  Keep  me  fully  advised 
of  every  thing  that  occurs,  and  I  will  aid  you  as  far 
as  lies  in  my  power.  To-day  I  will  call  upon  Edgar 
&  Co.,  and  do  what  I  can  toward  securing  for  you 
the  place  said  by  Jasper  to  be  vacant.  I  presume 
that  I  have  quite  as  much  influence  in  this  quarter 
as  he  has." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SCARCELY  had  Edward  Claire  left  the  store  of 
Jasper,  ere  the  latter  went  out  hurriedly,  and  took 
his  way  to  the  office  of  Grind,  the  lawyer,  to  whom 
he  said,  as  he  entered — 

"  It's  just  as  I  feared.  The  miserable  wretch 
proved  as  intractable  as  iron."  Jasper  was  not  only 
strongly  excited,  but  showed,  in  his  voice  and  man- 
ner, that  he  had  suifered  no  ordinary  disappointment. 

"Couldn't  you  buy  him  over?"     There  i$as  a 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  115 


mixture  of  surprise  and  incredulity  in  the  lawyer's 
tones. 

"  No,"  was  the  emphatic  response. 

"  That's  strange  !     He's  poor  ?" 

"  He  gets  five  hundred  a  year,  and  has  a  wife  and 
three  children  to  support." 

"  Why  didn't  you  tempt  him  with  the  offer  to  get 
him  a  place  worth  a  thousand  ?" 

"I  did." 

"With  what  effect?" 

"  He  wouldn't  give  up  the  child." 

"  Humph !" 

"  Isn't  it  too  had,  that  a  mean-souled  fellow  like 
him  should  stand  in  our  way  at  such  a  point  of  time  ? 
I  could  spurn  him  with  my  foot !  Hah  !" 

And -Jasper  clenched  his  teeth  and  scowled  ma- 
lignantly. 

"  I  am  disappointed,  I  confess,  said  Grind.  "But 
angry  excitement  never  helped  a  cause,  good  or  bad. 
We  must  have  possession  of  this  child  somehow. 
Martin  came  down  from  Reading  this  morning.  I 
saw  him  but  an  hour  ago." 

"  Indeed !     What  does  he  say  ?" 

"  The  indications  of  coal  are  abundant.  He  made 
very  careful  examinations  at  a  great  number  of 
points.  In  several  places  he  found  it  cropping  out 
freely ;  and  the  quality,  as  far  as  he  was  able  to 
judge,  is  remarkably  good." 

"Will  he  keep  our  secret?"  said  Jasper. 

"It  is  his  interest  to  do  so." 

"We  must  make  it  his  interest,  in  any  event. 
No  time  is  now  to  be  lost." 

"  I  agree  with  you  there.     A  single  week's  delay 


116  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


may  ruin  every  thing.     The  coal  is  our  discovery, 
and  we  are,  in  all  equity,  entitled  to  the  benefit." 

"  Of  course  we  are.  It's  a  matter  of  speculation, 
at  best ;  the  lucky  win.  If  we  can  get  an  order  for 
the  sale,  we  shall  win  handsomely.  But,  without 
producing  the  child,  it  will  be  next  to  impossible  to 
get  the  order.  So  we  must  have  her,  by  fair  means 
or  by  foul." 

"  We  must,"  said  the  lawyer,  compressing  his  lips 
firmly. 

"  And  have  her  now." 

"Now,"  responded  Grind. 

Jasper  rose  to  his  feet. 

"It's  easy  enough  to  say  what  we  must  have," 
remarked  Grind,  "  but  the  means  of  gaining  our 
ends  are  not  always  at  hand.  What  do  you  propose 
doing?" 

"I  shall  get  the  child." 

"  Don't  act  too  precipitately.  Violence  will  ex- 
cite suspicion,  and  suspicion  is  a  wonderful  ques- 
tioner." 

"  We  must  play  a  desperate  game,  as  things  now 
are,  or  not  play  at  all,"  said  Jasper. 

"  True ;  but  the  more  desperate  the  game,  the 
more  need  of  coolness,  forethought,  and  circumspec- 
tion. Don't  forget  this.  How  do  you  mean  to 
proceed?" 

'  That  is  yet  to  be  determined." 
'  Will   you   make    another    effort    to    influence 
Claire?" 
'No." 

'  Do  you  regard  him  as  altogether  impracticable  ?" 
'No  influence  that  I  can  bring  would  move  him." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  117 


"You  will,  then,  resort  to  stratagem  or  force?" 

""  One  or  the  other — perhaps  both.  The  child  we 
must  have." 

"Let  me  beg  of  you,  Jasper,  to  be  prudent. 
There  is  a  great  deal  at  stake." 

"  I  know  there  is ;  and  the  risk  increases  with 
every  moment  of  delay." 

Grind  showed  a  marked  degree  of  anxiety. 

"If  the  child  were  in  our  possession  now,"  said 
Jasper,  "or,  Avhich  is  the  same,  could  be  produced 
when  wanted,  how  soon  might  an  order  for  the  sale 
be  procured?" 

"  In  two  or  three  weeks,  I  think,"  replied  the 
lawyer. 

"  Certain  preliminary  steps  are  necessary  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  If  these  were  entered  upon  forthwith,  how  soon 
would  the  child  be  wanted  ?" 

"  In  about  ten  days." 

"  Very  well.  Begin  the  work  at  once.  When 
the  child  is  needed,  I  will  see  that  she  is  forthcoming. 
Trust  me  for  that.  I  never  was  foiled  yet  in  any 
thing  that  I  set  about  accomplishing,  and  I  will  not 
suffer  myself  to  be  foiled  here." 

With  this  understanding,  Jasper  and  the  lawyer 
parted. 

A  week  or  more  passed,  during  which  time  Claire 
heard  nothing  from  the  guardian  of  Fanny;  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  began  to  hope  that  no  further 
attempt  to  get  her  into  his  possession  would  be  made, 
until  the  child  had  reached  her  twelfth  year. 

It  was  in  the  summer-time,  and  Mrs.  Claire  sat, 
late  in  the  afternoon  of  a  pleasant  day,  at  one  of 


118  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


the  front-windows  of  her  dwelling,  holding  her 
youngest  child  in  her  arms. 

"  The  children  are  late  in  coming  home  from 
school,"  said  she,  speaking  aloud  her  thought.  "I 
wonder  what  keeps  them  !" 

And  she  leaned  out  of  the  window,  and  looked 
for  some  time  earnestly  down  the  street. 

But  the  children  were  not  in  sight.  For  some 
five  or  ten  minutes  Mrs.  Claire  played  with  and 
talked  to  the  child  in  her  arms ;  then  she  bent  from 
the  window  again,  gazing  first  up  and  then  down  the 
street. 

"  That's  Edie,  as  I  live  !"  she  exclaimed.  "  But 
where  is  Fanny?" 

As  she  uttered  this  inquiry,  a  sudden  fear  fell  like 
a  heavy  weight  on  her  heart.  Retiring  from  the 
window,  she  hastened  to  the  door,  where,  by  this 
time,  a  lady  stood  holding  little  Edie  by  the  hand. 
The  child's  eyes  were  red  with  weeping. 

"Is  this  your  little  girl?"  asked  the  lady. 

"  Oh,  mamma !  mamma !"  cried  Edie,  bursting  into 
tears,  as  she  sprang  to  her  mother's  side  and  hid  her 
face  in  her  garments. 

"  Where  did  you  find  her,  ma'am  ?  Was  she  lost  ?" 
asked  Mrs.  Claire,  looking  surprised  as  well  as 
alarmed.  "  Won't  you  walk  in,  ma'am  ?"  she  added, 
before  there  was  time  for  a  reply. 

The  lady  entered,  on  this  invitation,  and  when 
seated  in  Mrs.  Claire's  little  parlour,  related  that 
while  walking  through  Washington  Square,  she  no- 
ticed the  child  she  had  brought  home,  crying  bitter- 
ly. On  asking  her  as  to  the  cause  of  her  distress, 
she  said  that  she  wanted  Fanny:  and  then  ran 


WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS.  119 

away  to  some  distance  along  the  walks,  searching 
for  her  lost  companion.  The  lady's  interest  being 
excited,  she  followed  and  persuaded  the  child  to  tell 
her  where  she  lived.  After  remaining  some  time 
longer  in  the  square,  vainly  searching  for  Fanny, 
she  was  induced  to  let  the  lady  take  her  home.  Af- 
ter hearing  this  relation,  Mrs.  Claire  said  to  Edith, 
in  as  calm  a  voice  as  she  could  assume,  in  order  that 
the  child  might  think  without  the  confusion  of  mind 
consequent  upon  excitement — 

"  Where  is  Fanny,  dear  ?" 

"  She  went  with  the  lady  to  buy  some  candies," 
replied  the  child. 

"What  lady?"  asked  the  mother. 

"  The  lady  who  took  us  to  the  square." 

"  The  lady  who  took  you  to  the  square  ?"  said  the 
mother,  repeating  the  child's  words  from  the  very 
surprise  they  occasioned 

"Yes,  mamma,"  was  the  simple  response. 

"  What  lady  was  it  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.  She  met  us  as  we  were  coming 
home  from  school,  and  asked  us  to  go  down  and  walk 
in  the  square.  She  knew  Fanny." 

"  How  do  you  know,  dear  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Claire. 

"  Oh,  she  called  her  Fanny ;  and  said  what  a  nice 
big  girl  she  was  growing  to  be." 

"And  so  you  went  down  to  the  square  with 
her?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  And  what  then  ?" 

"  We  walked  about  there  for  a  little  while,  and 
then  the  lady  told  me  to  wait  while  she  took  Fanny 
to  the  candy-store  to  buy  some  candy.  I  waited, 


120  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


and  waited  ever  so  long ;  but  she  didn't  come  back ; 
and  then  I  cried." 

The  meaning  of  all  this,  poor  Mrs.  Claire  under- 
stood but  too  well.  With  what  a  shock  it  fell  upon 
her.  She  asked  no  further  question.  What  need 
was  there  ?  Edie's  artless  story  made  every  thing 
clear.  Fanny  had  been  enticed  away  by  some  one 
employed  by' Jasper,  and  was  now  in  his  possession  ! 
With  pale  face  and  quivering  lips,  she  sat  bending 
over  Edie,  silent  for  several  moments.  Then  recol- 
lecting herself,  she  said  to  the  lady — 

"  I  thank  you,  ma'am,  most  sincerely,  for  the 
trouble  you  have  taken  in  bringing  home  my  little 
girl.  This  is  a  most  distressing  affair.  The  other 
child  has,  evidently,  been  enticed  away." 

"  You  will  take  immediate  steps  for  her  recovery," 
said  the  lady. 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  expect  my  husband  home,  now, 
every  moment." 

While  she  was  yet  speaking,  Claire  came  in.  See- 
ing the  white  face  of  his  wife,  he  exclaimed — 

"  Mercy,  Edith  !     What  has  happened  ?" 

Edith  could  only  murmur  the  word  "  Fanny,"  as 
she  started  forward,  and  buried  her  face,  sobbing, 
on  his  bosom. 

"  Fanny  !     What  of  her  ?     Oh,  Edith  !  speak  !" 

The  agitation  of  the  wife  was,  for  the  time,  too 
overpowering  to  admit  of  words,  and  so  Claire  turn- 
ed to  the  lady  and  said,  hurriedly — 

"Will  you  tell  me,  madam,  what  has  happened  ?" 

"It  appears,  sir,"  she  replied,  "that  a  strange 
lady  enticed  the  children  to  Washington  Square,  on 
their  way  from  school" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  121 


"And  then  carried  off  our  dear,  dear  Fanny  !" 
sobbed  out  Edith. 

"  Carried  off  Fanny  !"  exclaimed  Claire. 

"  This  lady,"  said  Edith,  growing  calmer,  "  found 
our  little  Edie  crying,  in  the  square,  and  brought 
her  home.  Edie  says  the  lady  took  them  down 
there,  and  then  told  her  to  wait  until  she  went  with 
Fanny  to  buy  some  candies.  They  went,  but  did 
not  return." 

The  meaning  of  all  this  was  quite  as  clear  to  the 
mind  of  Edward  Claire  as  it  was  to  his  wife.  He 
understood,  likewise,  that  this  was  the  work  of  Jas- 
per, and  that  Fanny  was  now  in  his  possession. 
What  was  to  be  done  ?" 

"  Our  first  step,"  said  Claire,  after  the  stranger 
had  retired,  "must  be  to  ascertain,  if  possible, 
whether  what  we  believe  to  be  true  in  regard  to  Fan- 
ny is  really  true.  We  must  know  certainly,  whether 
she  be  really  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Jasper." 

"Where  else  can  she  be?"  asked  Edith,  a  new 
fear  throwing  its  quick  flash  into  her  face. 

"We,  naturally,"  replied  her  husband,  "take  it 
for  granted  that  Mr.  Jasper  has  put  his  threat  into 
execution.  There  is  a  bare  possibility  that  such  is 
not  the  case ;  and  we  must  not  rest  until  we  have, 
on  this  point,  the  most  absolute  certainty." 

"For  what  other  purpose  could  she  have  been  en- 
ticed away  ?"  said  Mrs.  Claire,  her  face  again  blanch- 
ing to  a  deadly  paleness. 

"  We  know  nothing  certain,  Edith ;  and  while 
this  is  the  case,  we  cannot  but  feel  a  double  anxiety. 
But,  I  must  not  linger  here.  Be  as  calm  as  possi- 
ble, niy  dear  wife,  in  this  painful  trial.  I  will  go 


122  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 

at  once  to  Mr.  Jasper,  and  learn  from  him  whether 
he  has  the  child." 

"  Go  quickly,  Edward,"  said  Edith.  "  Oh !  it 
will  be  such  a  relief  to  have  a  certainty ;  to  know 
even  that  she  is  in  his  hands." 

Without  further  remark,  Claire  left  his  house  and 
hurried  off  to  the  store  of  Jasper.  The  merchant 
was  not  there.  From  one  of  his  clerks  he  learned 
his  present  residence,  which  happened  not  to  be  far 
distant.  Thither  he  went,  and,  on  asking  to  see 
him,  was  told  by  the  servant  that  he  was  not  at 
home.  He  then  inquired  for  Mrs.  Jasper,  who,  on 
being  summoned,  met  him  in  one  of  the  parlours.  The 
manner  of  Claire  was  very  much  agitated,  and  he 
said,  with  an  abruptness  that  evidently  disconcerted 
the  lady — 

"  Good  evening,  madam !  My  name  is  Claire. 
You  remember  me,  of  course  ?" 

The  lady  bowed  coldly,  and  with  a  frown  on  her 
brow. 

"Is  little  Fanny  Elder  here?"  was  asked,  and 
with  even  greater  abruptness. 

"Fanny  Elder?  No!  Why  do  you  ask  that 
question?" 

There  was  something  so  positive  in  the  denial  of 
Mrs.  Jasper,  that  Claire  felt  her  words  as  truth. 

"Not  here?"  said  he,  catching  his  breath  in  a 
gasping  manner.  "  Not  here  ?" 

"  I  said  that  she -was  not  here,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Oh,  where  then  is  she,  madam  ?"  exclaimed  the 
young  man,  evincing  great  distress. 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  Is  she  not  in  your  pos- 
session ?  What  is  the  meaning  of  this,  Mr.  Claire  ?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  123 


The  lady  spoke  sternly,  and  with  the  air  of  one 
both  offended  and  irritated. 

"  Somebody  enticed  her  away,  on  her  return 
from  school  this  afternoon,"  said  Claire.  "  Mr. 
Jasper  said  that  he  would  have  her ;  and  my  first 
and  natural  conclusion  was  that  he  had  executed  his 
threat.  Oh,  ma'am,  if  this  be  so,  tell  me,  that 
my  anxiety  for  the  child's  safety  may  have  rest. 
As  it  is,  I  am  in  the  most  painful  uncertainty.  If 
she  is  here,  I  will  feel,  at  least" 

"  Have  I  not  told  you  that  she  is  not  here,  and 
that  I  know  nothing  of  her,"  said  Mrs.  Jasper,  an- 
grily, interrupting  the  young  man.  "  This  is  inso- 
lent." 

"  How  soon  do  yo.u  expect  Mr.  Jasper  home  ?"  in- 
quired Claire. 

"Not  for  several  days,"  replied  Mrs.  Jasper. 

"  Days  !    Is  he  not  in  the  city  ?" 

"No,  sir.     He  left  town  yesterday." 

Claire  struck  his  hands  together  in  disappoint- 
ment and  grief.  This  confirmed  to  him  the  lady's 
assertion  that  she  knew  nothing  of  Fanny.  In  that 
assertion  she  had  uttered  the  truth. 

Sadly  disappointed,  and  in  far  deeper  distress  of 
mind  than  when  he  entered  the  house,  Edward 
Claire  retired.  If  Mr.  Jasper  left  the  city  on  the 
day  previous,  and  his  wife  had,  as  he  could  not  help 
believing,  no  knowledge  whatever  of  Fanny,  then 
the  more  distressing  inference  was  that  she  had  been 
enticed  away  by  some  stranger. 

On  his  way  home,  Claire  called  again  at  the  store 
of  Jasper.  It  occurred  to  him  to  ask  there  as  to  his 
absence  from  the  city.  The  reply  he  received  was 


124  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


in  agreement  with  Mrs.  Jasper's  assertion.     He  had 
left  town  on  the  previous  day. 
'  "Where  has  he  gone?"  he  inquired. 

"  To  Reading,  I  believe,"  was  the  answer. 

"Will  he  return  soon?" 

"Not  for  several  days,  I  believe." 

With  a  heavy  heart,  Claire  bent  his  way  home- 
ward. He  cherished  a  faint  hope  that  Fanny  might 
have  returned.  The  hope  was  vain.  Here  he  lin- 
gered but  a  short  time.  His  next  step  was  to  give 
information  to  the  police,  and  to  furnish  for  all  the 
morning  papers  an  advertisement,  detailing  the  cir- 
cumstances attendant  on  the  child's  abduction.  This 
done,  he  again  returned  home,  to  console,  the  best 
he  could,  his  afflicted  wife,  and  to  wait  the  develop- 
ments of  the  succeeding  day. 

Utterly  fruitless  were  all  the  means  used  by 
Claire  to  gain  intelligence  of  the  missing  child. 
TAVO  days  went  by,  yet  not  the  least  clue  to  the 
mystery  of  .her  absence  had  been  found.  There 
was  no  response  to  the  newspaper  advertisements  ; 
and  the  police  confessed  themselves  entirely  at 
fault. 

Exhausted  by  sleepless  anxiety,  broken  in  spirit 
by  this  distressing  affliction,  and  almost  despairing 
in  regard  to  the  absent  one,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claire 
were  seated  alone,  about  an  hour  after  dark  on  the 
evening  of  the  third  day,  when  the  noise  of  rum- 
bling wheels  ceased  before  their  door.  Each  bent 
an  ear,  involuntarily,  to  listen,  and  each  started  with 
an  exclamation,  as  the  bell  rang  with  a  sudden  jerk. 
Almost  simultaneously,  the  noise  of  wheels  was 
again  heard,  and  a  carriage  rolled  rapidly  away. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  125 


Two  or  three  quick  bounds  brought  Claire  to  the 
door,  which  he  threw  open. 

"Fanny!"  he  instantly  exclaimed;  and  in  the 
next  moment  the  child  was  in  his  arms,  clinging  to 
him,  and  weeping  for  joy  at  her  return. 

'With  a  wonderful  calmness,  Mrs.  Claire  re- 
ceived Fanny  from  her  husband,  murmuring  as  she 
did  so,  in  a  subdued,  yet  deeply  gratified  voice — 

"  0,  God!  I  thank  thee !"  ' 

But  this  calmness  in  a  little  while  gave  way,  and 
her  overstrained,  but  now  joyful  feelings,  poured 
themselves  forth  in  tears. 

Poor  child!  She  too  had  suffered  during  these 
three  never-to-be-forgotten  days,  and  the  marks  of 
that  suffering  were  sadly  visible  in  her  pale,  grief- 
touched  countenance. 

To  the  earnest  inquiries  of  her  foster-parents, 
Fanny  could  give  no  very  satisfactory  answer. 
She  had  no  sooner  left  the  square  with  the  lady 
mentioned  by  little  Edith,  than  she  was  hurried  into 
a  carriage,  and  driven  off  to  the  cars,  where  a  man 
met  them.  This  man,  she  said,  spoke  kindly  to  her, 
showed  her  his  watch,  and  told  her  if  she  would  be 
a  good  girl  and  not  cry,  he  would  take  her  home 
again.  In  the  cars,  they  rode  for  a  long  time, 
until  it  grew  dark ;  and  still  she  said  the  cars  kept 
going.  After  a  while  she  fell  asleep,  and  when  she 
awoke  it  was  morning,  and  she  was  lying  on  a  bed. 
The  same  lady  was  with  her,  and,  speaking  kindly, 
told  her  not  to  be  frightened — that  nobody  would 
hurt  her,  and  that  she  should  go  home  in  a  day  or 
two. 

"But  I  did  nothing  but  cry,"  said  the  child,  in 


126  TKUE  RICHES;  OR, 


her  own  simple  way,  as  she  related  her  story. 
"  Then  the  lady  scolded  me,  until  I  was  frightened, 
and  tried  to  keep  back  the  tears  all  I  could.  But 
they  would  run  down  my  cheeks.  A  good  while 
after  breakfast,"  continued  Fanny,  "  the  man  who 
had  met  us  at  the  cars  came  in  with  another  man. 
They  talked  with  the  lady  for  a  good  while,  looking 
at  me  as  they  spoke.  Then  they  all  came  around 
me,  and  one  of  the  men  said — : 

"'Don't  be  frightened,  my  little  dear.  No  one 
will  do  you  any  harm ;  and  if  you  will  be  a  right 
good  girl,  and  do  just  as  we  want  you  to  do,  you 
shall  go  home  to-morrow.' 

"  I  tried  not  to  cry,  but  the  tears  came  running 
down  my  face.  Then  the  other  man  said  sharply — 

"  '  Come  now,  my  little  lady,  we  can't  have  any 
more  of  this !  If  you  wish  to  go  home  again  to- 
morrow, dry  your  tears  at  once.  There !  there  ! 
Hush  all  them  sobs.  No  one  is  going  to  do  you 
any  harm.' 

"  I  was  so  frightened  at  the  way  the  man  looked 
and  talked,  that  I  stopped  crying  at  once. 

"'There  !'  said  he, '  that  is  something  like.  Now,' 
speaking  to  the  lady,  'put  on  her  things.  It  is  time 
'she  was  there.' 

"  I  was  more  frightened  at  this,  and  the  men 
saw  it ;  so  one  of  them  told  me  not  to  be  alarmed, 
that  they  were  only  going  to  show  me  a  large, 
handsome  house,  and  would  then  bring  me  right 
back ;  and  that  in  the  morning,  if  I  would  go  with 
them  now,  and  be  a  good  girl,  I  should  go  home 
again. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  127 


"  So  I  went  with  them,  and  tried  my  best  not  to 
cry.  They  brought  me  into  a  large  house,  and 
there  were  a  good  many  men  inside.  The  men  all 
looked  at  me,  and  I  was  so  frightened !  Then  they 
talked  together,  and  one  of  them  kept  pointing 
toward  me.  At  last  I  was  taken  back  to  the 
house,  where  I  stayed  all  day  and  all  night  with  the 
lady.  This  morning  we  got  into  the  cars,  and 
came  back  to  the  city.  The  lady  took  me  to  a 
large  house  in  Walnut  street,  where  I  stayed  until 
after  dark,  and  then  she  brought  me  home  in  a 
carriage." 

Such  was  the  child's  story  ;  and  greatly  puzzled 
were  Claire  and  his  wife  to  comprehend  its  mean- 
ing. Their  joy  at  her  return  was  intense.  She 
seemed  almost  as  if  restored  to  them  from  the 
dead.  But,  for  what  purpose  had  she  been  carried 
off;  and  who  were  the  parties  engaged  in  the 
act  ?  These  were  questions  of  the  deepest  mo- 
ment ;  yet  difficult,  if  not  impossible  of  solution — 
at  least  in  the  present.  That  Jasper's  absence 
from  the  city  was  in  some  way  connected  with 
this  business,  Claire  felt  certain,  the  more  he  re- 
flected thereon.  But,  that  Fanny  should  be  re- 
turned to  him  so  speedily,  if  Jasper  had  been  con- 
cerned in  her  temporary  abduction,  was  something 
that  he  could  not  clearly  understand.  And  it 
was  a  long  time  ere  the  mystery  was  entirely  un- 
ravelled. 


128  TRUE   RICHES  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM  that  time  Claire  and  his  wife  heard  no 
more  from  Jasper,  who  regularly  paid  the  sums 
quarterly  demanded  for  Fanny's  maintenance.  This 
demand  was  not  now  made  in  person  by  Claire.  He 
sent  a  written  order,  which  the  guardian  never 
failed  to  honour  on  the  first  presentation. 

Mr.  Melleville,  according  to  promise,  called 
upon  the  firm  of  Edgar  &  Co.,  in  order  to  speak 
a  good  word  for  Edward ;  but  learned,  not  a  little 
to  his  surprise,  that  no  vacancy  was  anticipated  in 
the  house. 

"  Mr.  Jasper,"  said  he,  "  told  one  of  my  young 
men  that  a  clerk  had  left,  or  was  about  leaving 
you." 

"  It's  a  mistake,"  was  the  positive  answer.  "  He 
may  have  meant  some  other  firm." 

"All  a  wicked  deception  on  the  part  of  Jasper," 
said  Melleville  to  himself,  as  he  left  the  store.  "  A 
lie  told  with  sinister  purpose.  How  given  over  to 
airbaseness  is  the  man  !" 

Claire  was  no  little  disappointed  when  this  was 
told  him ;  but  his  answer  showed  how  he  was 
gaming  in  just  views  of  life ;  and  how  he  could 
lean  on  right  principles  and  find  in  them  a  firm 
support. 

"I  would  rather,"  said  he,  "be  the  deceived  than 
the  deceiver.  The  one  most  wronged  in  this  is 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  129 


Leonard  Jasper.  Ah  !  is  he  not  preparing  for  him- 
self a  sad  future  ?  As  for  me,  I  am  more  and 
more  satisfied,  every  day,  that  all  events,  even  to 
the  most  minute,  are  in  the  direction  or  permis- 
sion of  Providence  ;  and  that  out  of  the  very  oc- 
currences we  deem  afflictive  and  disastrous,  will 
often  arise  our  greatest  good.  For  the  moment  I 
was  disappointed;  but  now  I  feel  that  it,  is  all 
right." 

.  No  change  of  marked  importance  occurred  in 
the  family  of  Claire  during  the  next  two  years,  to 
the  close  of  which  period  both  he  and  his  -\vife 
looked  with  increasing  earnestness  of  mind.  Fanny 
had  grown  rapidly  during  this  time,  and  was  now 
tall  for  her  age — and  still  very  beautiful.  In  cha- 
racter she  was  every  thing  the  fondest  parents  could 
desire. 

At  last  came  the  child's  twelfth  birthday.  Nei- 
ther Clare  nor  his  wife  referred  to  the  fact ;  though 
it  was  present  to  both  their  minds — present  like  an 
evil  guest.  Must  they  now  give  her  up?  Their 
hearts  shrank  and  trembled  at  the  bare  idea.  Hotf 
plainly  each  read  in  the  other's  face  the  trouble 
which  only  the  lips  concealed! 

Never  had  Fanny  looked  so  lovely  in  the  eyes  of 
Claire  as  she  did  on  that  morning,  when  she  bound- 
ed to  his  side  and  claimed  a  parting  kiss,  ere  he  left 
for  his  daily  round  of  business.  Could  he  give  her 
up?  The  thought  choked  in  their  utterance  the 
words  of  love  that  were  on  his  lips,  and  he  turned 
from  her  and  left  the  house. 

As  Claire,  on  his  way  to  Mr.  Melleville's  store, 
came  into  the  more  business  portions  of  the  city,  his 


13Q  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


thoughts  on  the  child  who  was  soon  to  be  resigned, 
according  to  the  tenor  of  his  contract  with  her  guar- 
dian, he  was  suddenly  startled  by  _ seeing  Jasper  a 
short  distance  ahead,  approaching  from  the  direc- 
tion in  which  he  was  going.  Happening,  at  the  mo- 
ment, to  be  near  a  cross  street,  he  turned  off  sud- 
denly, in  obedience  to  an  instinct  rather  than  a 
purpose,  and  avoided  a  meeting  by  going  out  of  his 
way. 

"How  vain,"  he  sighed  to  himself,  as  the  throb-: 
bing  of  his  heart  grew  less  heavy  and  his  thoughts 
ran  clear.  "  I  cannot  so  avoid  this  evil.  It  will 
most  surely  find  me  out.  Dear,  dear  child !  How 
shall  we  ever  bear  the  parting  !" 

All  day  long  Claire  was  in  momentary  dread  of  a 
visit  or  a  communication  from  Jasper.  But  none 
came.  A  like  anxiety  had  been  suffered  by  his  wife, 
and  it  showed  itself  in  the  pallor  of  her  cheeks,  and 
the  heavy,  almost  tearful,  drooping  of  her  eyelids. 

The  next  day  and  the  next  passed,  and  yet 
nothing  was  heard  from  the  guardian.  Now,  the 
true  guardians  of  the  child  began  to  breathe  more 
freely.  A  week  elapsed,  and  all  remained  as  before. 
Another  week  was  added ;  another  and  another.  A 
month  had  gone  by.  And  yet  the  days  of  a  suc- 
ceeding month  came  and  went,  the  child  still  re- 
maining in  her  old  home. 

Up  to  this  time  but  brief  allusions  had  been  made 
by  either  Claire  or  his  wife  to  the  subject  first  in 
their  thoughts.  They  avoided  it,  because  each  felt 
that  the  other  would  confirm,  rather  than  allay, 
fears  already  too  well  defined. 

"It  is  strange,"  said  Claire,  as  he  sat  alone  with 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  181 


his  wife  one  evening,  some  three  months  subsequent 
to  the  twelfth  birthday  of  Fanny,  "that  we  have 
heard  nothing  yet  from  Mr.  Jasper." 

Edith  looked  up  quickly,  and  with  a  glance  of 
inquiry,  into  his  face  ;  but  made  no  answer. 

"I've  turned  it  over  in  my  mind  a  great  deal," 
resumed  Claire,  thoughtfully;  "but  with  little  or 
no  satisfactory  result.  Once  I  thought  I  would  call 
on  him" 

"Oh,  no,  no!  not  for  the  world!"  instantly  ex- 
claimed Edith. 

"  I  see,  with  you,  dear,  that  such  a  step  would  be 
imprudent.  And,  yet,  this  suspense — how  painful 
it  is  !" 

"  Painful,  it  is  true,  Edward ;  yet,  how  in  every 
way  to  be  preferred  to  the  certainty  we  so  much 
dread." 

"0  yes — yes.  I  agree  with  you  there."  Then, 
after  a  pause,  he  said,  "It  is  now  three  months  since 
the  time  expired  for  which  we  agreed  to  keep  Fanny." 

"  I  know,"  was  the  sighing  response. 

They  both  remained  silent,  each  waiting  for  the 
other  to  speak.  The  same  thought  was  in  the  mind 
of  each.  Excited  by  the  close  pressure  of  want  upon 
their  income,  Edward  was  first  to  give  it  voice. 

"Mr.  Jasper,"  said  he,  touching  the  subject  at 
first  remotely,  "  may  have  forgotten,  in  the  pressure 
of  business  on  his  attention,  the  fact  that  Fanny  is 
now  twelve  years  old." 

"  So  I  have  thought,"  replied  Edith. 

"  If  I  send,  as  usual,  for  the  sum  heretofore  regu- 
larly paid  for  her  maintenance,  it  may  bring  this  fact 
to  his  mind." 


132  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"I have  feared  as  much,"  was  the  low,  half-tremu- 
lous response. 

"  And  yet,  if  I  do  not  send,  the  very  omission  may 
excite  a  question,  and  produce  the  consequences  we 
fear." 

"  True,  Edward.  All  that  has  passed  through  my 
mind  over  and  over  again." 

"  What  had  we  better  do  ?" 

"Ah  !"  sighed  Edith,  "if  we  only  knew  that." 

"  Shall  I  send  the  order,  as  usual  ?" 

Edith  shook  her  head,  saying — 

"I'm  afraid." 

"And  I  hesitate  with  the  same  fear." 

"And  yet,  Edith,"  said  Claire,  who,  as  the  pro- 
vider for  the  family,  pondered  more  anxiously  the 
question  of  ways  and  means,  "  what  are  we  to  do  ? 
Our  income,  with  Fanny's  board  added,  is  but  just 
sufficient.  Take  aAvay  three  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
and  where  will  we  stand  ?  The  thought  presses  like 
a  leaden  weight  on  my  feelings.  Debt,  or  severe 
privation,  is  inevitable.  If,  with  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars, we  only  come  out  even  at  the  end  of  each  year, 
what  will  be  the  result  if  our  income  is  suddenly  re- 
duced to  five  hundred?" 

"  Let  us  do  what  is  right,  Edward,"  said  his  wife, 
laying  her  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  looking  into  his 
face  in  her  earnest,  peculiar  way.  Her  voice,  though 
it  slightly  trembled,  had  in  it  a  tone  of  confidence, 
which,  with  the  words  she  had  spoken,  gave  to  the 
wavering  heart  of  Claire  an  instant  feeling  of 
strength. 

"But  what  is  right,  Edith?"  he  asked. 

"  We  know  not  now,"  was  her  reply,  "  but,  if  we 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  133 


earnestly  desire  to  do  right,  true  perceptions  will 
be  given." 

"  A  beautiful  faith ;  but  oh,  how  hard  to  realize!" 

"  No,  Edward,  not  so  very  hard.  We  have  never 
found  it  so :  have  we  ?" 

Love  and  holy  confidence  were  in  her  eyes. 

"We  have  had  some  dark  seasons,  Edith,"  said 
Claire  sadly. 

"  But,  through  darkest  clouds  has  come  the  sun- 
beam. Our  feet  have  not  wandered  for  want  of 
light.  Look  back  for  a  moment.  How  dark  all 
seemed  when  the  question  of  leaving  Jasper's  service 
came  up  for  decision.  And  yet  how  clear  a  light 
shone  when  the  time  for  action  came.  Have  you 
ever  regretted  what  was  then  done,  Edward?" 

"  Not  in  a  sane  moment,"  replied  the  young  man. 
"0  no,  no,  Edith!"  speaking  more  earnestly; 
"that,  with  one  exception,  was  the  most  important 
act  of  my  life." 

"With  one  exception?"  Edith  spoke  in  a  tone 
of  inquiry. 

"Yes."  Claire's  voice  was  very  tender,  and 
touched  with  a  slight  unsteadiness.  The  most  im- 
portant act  of  my  life  was" 

He  paused  and  gazed  lovingly  into  the  face  of  his 
wife.  She,  now  comprehending  him,  laid,  with  a 
pure  thrill  of  joy  pervading  her  bosom,  her  cheek  to 
his — and  thus,  for  the  space  of  nearly  a  minute, 
they  sat  motionless. 

"  May  God  bless  you,  Edith  !"  said  Claire  at  length, 
fervently,  lifting  his  head  as  he  spoke.  "You  are 
the  good  angel  sent  to  go  with  me  through  life.  Ah ! 
but  for  you,  how  far  from  the  true  path  might  my 


134  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


feet  have  strayed!  And  now,"  he  added,  more 
calmly,  "  we  will  look  at  the  present  difficulty  stea- 
dily, and  seek  to  know  the  right." 

"The  right  way,"  said  Edith,  after  she  had  to 
some  extent  repressed  the  glad  pulses  that  leaped 
to  her  husband's  loving  words,  "is  not  always  the 
way  in  which  we  most  desire  to  walk.  Thorns, 
sometimes,  are  at  its  entrance.  But  it  grows  plea- 
santer  afterward." 

"  If  we  can  find  the  right  way,  Edith,  we  will  walk 
in  it  because  it  is  the  right  way." 

"  And  we  will  surely  find  it  if  we  seek  in  this 
spirit,"  returned  the  wife. 

"  What,  then,  had  we  best  do  ?"  asked  Claire,  his 
thought  turning  earnestly  to  the  subject  under  con- 
sideration. 

"  What  will  be  best  for  Fanny  ?  That  should  be 
our  first  consideration,"  said  his  wife.  "Will  it  be 
best  for  her  to  remain  with  us,  or  to  go  into  Mr. 
Jasper's  family  ?" 

"  That  is  certainly  a  grave  question,"  returned 
Claire,  seriously,  "  and  must  be  viewed  in  many 
aspects.  Mr.  Jasper's  place  in  the  world  is  far  dif- 
ferent from  mine.  He  is  a  wealthy  merchant ;  I 
am  a  poor  clerk.  If  she  goes  into  his  family,  she 
will  have  advantages  not  to  be  found  with  us — ad- 
vantages of  education,  society,  and  position  in  life. 
To  keep  her  with  us  will  debar  her  from  all  these. 
Taking  this  view  of  the  case,  Edith,  I  don't  know 
that  we  have  any  right  to  keep  her  longer,  particu- 
larly as  Mr.  Jasper  has  signified  to  us,  distinctly, 
his  wish,  as  her  guardian,  to  take  her  into  his  own 
family,  and  superintend  her  education." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  135 


Edith  bent  her  head,  thoughtfully,  for  some  mo- 
ments. She  then  said — 

"  Do  you  believe  that  Mr.  Jasper  gave  the  true 
reason  for  wishing  to  have  Fanny?" 

"That  he  might  superintend  her  education?" 

"Yes." 

"  No,  Edith,  I  do  not.  I  believe  a  selfish  motive 
alone  influenced  him." 

"  You  have  good  reasons  for  so  thinking  ?" 

"  The  best  of-  reasons.  I  need  not  repeat  them  ; 
they  are  as  familiar  to  you  as  they  are  to  me." 

"  Do  you  believe  that,  under  his  superintendence, 
she  will  receive  a  better  education  than  under 
ours?" 

"  She  will,  undoubtedly,  Edith,  if  remaining  with 
us  she  fails  to  bring  the  means  of  education.  We 
are  poor,  Edith,  and  the  claims  of  our  own  children 
— bone  of  our  bone  and  flesh  of  our  flesh — must 
not  be  forgotten." 

A  quick  change  passed  over  Edith.  Her  counte- 
nance became  troubled.  The  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  retaining  the  child  were  suddenly  magnified  to 
her  thoughts.  Ah !  how  painfully  did  she  feel  that 
often  the  first  steps  in  the  way  of  duty  are  among 
thorns. 

"  Can  we  be  just  to  Fanny  and  just  also  to  our 
own  children?"  asked  Claire. 

"  If  we  still  received  the  old  sum  for  her  main- 
tenance, we  could.  I  would  not  ask  its  increase  to 
the  amount  of  a  single  dollar." 

"Nor  I,  Edith.  Were  we  certain  of  having  this 
continued,  there  would  be  no  doubt.'" 

"There  would  be  none   in  my  mind.      As   for 


136  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


the  higher  position  in  society  which  she  would  attain, 
as  an  inmate  of  Mr.  Jasper's  family,  that  might  not 
be  to  her  the  greatest  good ;  but  prove  the  most 
direful  evil.  She  could  not  be  guarded  there,  in 
her  entrance  into  life,  as  we  would  guard  her.  The 
same  love  would  not  surround  her  as  a  protecting 
sphere.  I  tremble  at  the  thought,  Edward.  How 
great  would  be  her  danger !  Fourfold  would  be  her 
temptation,  and  tenfold  her  exposure." 

"We  will  keep  her,"  said  Claire,  firmly,  as  his 
wife  ceased  speaking.  "  She  must  not  be  so  ex- 
posed. God  has  given  her  to  us ;  she  is  our 
child,  for  we  love  her  as  tenderly  as  if  she  were 
of  our  own  blood.  When  her  mother  was  taken, 
God  transferred  the  love  she  had  borne  her  child 
into  your  bosom,  and  from  that  time  you  became 
her  mother.  No,  Edith,  we  must  not  let  her  go 
forth,  in  her  tender  innocence.  We  love  her  as 
our  own  ;  let  us  share  with  her  the  best  we  have ; 
let  her  become  more  really  our  own  than  she  has 
yet  been." 

"  If,"  said  Edith,  after  some  moments,  "  we  lose 
the  regular  income  from  Mr.  Jasper,  Fanny  will  be 
deprived  of  most  important  advantages.  Just  now 
we  are  about  adding  materially  to  the  cost  of  her 
education." 

"  I  know,"  replied  Edward.  "  But  if  the  income 
is  withheld?" 

"We  have  not  yet  applied  for  it." 

Claire  looked,  for  some  moments,  steadily  into 
his  wife's  face. 

"  You  think,  then,  that  we  should  make  the  usual 
application?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  137 


"  I  have  not  said  so,  Edward.  My  mind  is  far 
from  clear.  Jasper  may  not,  now,  want  the  trouble 
of  Fanny.  He  doubtless  had  some  purpose  to 
subserve  when  he  demanded  her ;  a  purpose  gained, 
probably,  at  the  time  of  her  mysterious  removal 
from  the  city,  which  I  have  always  believed  was 
through  his  agency.  If  you  were  to  send  for  the 
money,  as  usual,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  he 
would  pay  it." 

"But,  if  he  should  refuse,  and  demand  the 
child  ?" 

"  If  his  purpose  to  do  this  remains,  and  he  has 
forgotten  Fanny's  age,  your  omission  to  send  for 
the  money  will  be  more  likely  to  call  his  thought  to 
the  subject,  than  your  regular  demand  for  the  price 
of  her  maintenance." 

"True." 

"  And  if  he  still  means  to  have  her,  the  execu- 
tion of  his  purpose  cannot  in  any  event  be  long 
delayed." 

"No." 

"  Can  we  unaided  give  her  the  education  she  is 
entitled  to  receive  ?" 

Claire  shook  his  head. 

"  Then  had  we  not  better  continue  to  apply  for 
the  sum  necessary  to  her  support  and  education.  If 
Mr.  Jasper  is  indifferent  about  her,  the  money  will 
be  paid  as  usual ;  if  he  means  to  take  her  into  his 
own  family,  our  failure  to  apply  will  defer  but  for 
a  very  short  season  the  evil  day." 

Edith's  mind  had  become  clear  by  this  time.  Her 
husband  not  making  an  immediate  reply,  she 
added — 

12* 


138  TRUE  RICHES;  on, 


"  This  acting  on  mere  policy,  is  never,  I  think,  the 
wisest.  Does  it  not  clearly  involve  a  distrust  in 
Providence,  and  a  weak  reliance  on  mere  human 
prudence  ?  There  is  a  provision  for  Fanny's  sup- 
port and  education,  and  she  is  justly  entitled  to  all 
those  natural  advantages  which  this  provision  was 
designed  to  give.  Under  Providence,  Mr.  Jasper 
has  been  chosen  her  guardian ;  and  under  Provi- 
dence the  personal  care  of  the  child  has  fallen  to 
our  lot.  Thus  far  we  have  endeavoured  to  discharge 
our  duty  faithfully — thus  far  we  have  done  as  well 
by  the  child  as  if  she  had  been  our  own.  Now,  if 
it  is  best  for  her  to  remain  with  us,  the  same  Provi- 
dence will  so  dispose  of  events  as  to  provide  for  her 
remaining ;  but  if  it  is  best  for  her  to  go  into  the 
family  of  Mr.  Jasper,  she  will  go  there.  Let  us 
not,  therefore,  in  our  practical  distrust  of  Provi- 
dence, seek  to  hide  ourserves  from  the  observation 
of  a  mere  creature." 

"  I  see  much  in  this,"  said  Claire,  as  soon  as  his 
wife  had  ceased  speaking.  "  Man  proposes ;  God 
disposes.  With  Him  are  all  our  ways.  Out  of  the 
evil  designs  and  selfish  purposes  of  men,  He  is  ever 
bringing  forth  good." 

"  Then  let  us  not  fear  to  trust  him.  As  we 
have  been  doing,  let  us  continue  to  do,  confidently 
believing  that  He  will  overrule  all  for  good.  To 
our  present  sight,  it  seems,  that,  unless  we  receive, 
as  heretofore,  a  sum  of  money  for  Fanny's  support 
and  education,  we  cannot  do  for  her  what  is  right. 
This,  at  least,  is  my  view." 

"  And  it  is  mine,"  replied  the  husband. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  139 


"  Then  let  us  act  from  the  light  we  hare.  None 
can  do  better  than  this." 

And  so  it  was  determined  to  send  an  order  to 
Jasper,  as  usual. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ON  the  next  day,  a  fellow-clerk,  who  had  always 
performed  this  little  service  for  Claire,  took  the 
order  to  Jasper.  With  a  nervous  impatience  that 
he  found  it  impossible  to  repress,  Claire  awaited  his 
return.  On  his  appearance,  he  said,  with  ill-con- 
cealed anxiety — 

"Did  he  pay  the  order?" 

The  young  man  shook  his  head. 

"What!  Didn't  pay  it?"  Though  half-ex- 
pecting such  a  result,  he  was  none  the  more  pre- 
pared for  it,  nor  the  less  disturbed  when  it  was 
known. 

"  No ;  he  said  that  the  contract  entered  into  with 
you  for  boarding  the  child  was  at  an  end  three 
months  ago." 

"What  else  did  he  say?" 

"  Nothing  else." 

"  Did  he  send  no  message  to  me  of  any  kind  ?" 

"  None.  When  I  handed  him  the  order,  he 
pushed  it  back,  and  used  the  words  I  have  repeated. 
I  waited  a  little  while  for  some  further  remark,  but 
he  made  none." 

"  Did  he  seem  angry  ?" 


140  TRUE   RICHES  J     OR, 


"  Not  angry ;  but  rather  pleased,  I  should  say. 
There  was  a  heartless  smile  on  his  face,  as  if  he  en- 
joyed the  act  of  refusal." 

Claire  made  no  further  remark.  For  a  time  he 
groped  about,  mentally,  like  one  in  darkness  and 
lost.  It  appeared  as  if  there  was  no  escape ;  as 
if  the  evil  which  had  long  dogged  his  steps  was 
upon  him.  But  in  a  short  time,  a  ray  of  light 
shone  in  here  and  there,  paths  that  might  be 
walked  in  safely  were  dimly  perceived — escape 
seemed  possible.  Still,  he  was  deeply  depressed 
and  sorely  troubled. 

Edith  received  the  intelligence  in  a  calmer  spirit 
than  her  husband  had  expected. 

"  The  way  will  be  made  plain  before  us,"  said  she. 
"It  is  plainer  now  than  it  was  last  night — much 
plainer." 

"  How  can  you  say  that,  Edith  ?" 

"  Mr.  Jasper  has  refused  to  pay  any  thing  more 
to  us  for  Fanny's  support." 

"Yes." 

"  But  in  the  refusal  said  nothing  about  our  giving 
her  up  to  him." 

"  Well  ?" 

"  I  gather  from  this,  and  the  fact  that  he  was 
aware  of  her  being  twelve  years  old,  that  he  does 
not  really -want  her  now  in  his  own  family,  but  re- 
fuses to  pay  us  for  her  board  and  education  from  a 
feeling  of  ill-will  toward  you.  His  manner  to  the 
young  man  who  presented  the  order  clearly  indi- 
cates this." 

"  You  may  be  right  there,  Edith,"  said  Claire,  a 
further  light  breaking  into  his  mind.  "  We  have  at 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  141 


least  done  our  duty  toward  Fanny  in  making  this 
demand  on  her  guardian.  And  now,  the  question 
left  for  us  -to  decide  may  be  whether  it  will  be  just 
toward  her,  and  also  toward  our  own  children,  still 
to  keep  her  in  our  own  family,  and  let  her  share, 
with  the  others,  the  best  that  it  is  in  our  power  to 
give." 

"And  will  it  be  hard  to  make  that  decision?" 
said  Edith,  a  slight  flush  coming  into  her  earnest 
face. , 

'  I  think  not,"  was  the  firm  reply. 

'Have  we  loved  her  less  than  our  own?"  asked 
Edith. 

*  I  believe  not." 

'Love  seeks  the  highest  good  for  its  object." 

'Yes — yes." 

'  Can  a  stranger  love  the  child  as  we  have  loved 
her?" 

Claire  shook  his  head. 

"  Can  a  stranger,  even  with  more  of  what  the 
world  gives,  yet  with  less  of  a  genuine  aflection,  se- 
cure for  her,  as  we  may,  what  should  justly  be  re- 
garded as  the  highest  good  in  life." 

"  No  stranger  can  ever  be  to  her,  Edith,  what  you 
have  been,  and  will  continue  to  be." 

"  We  must  not  thrust  her  out,  Edward.  We  can- 
not thrust  her  out.  While  God  permits  her  to  re- 
main, let  us  keep  her,  assured  that  He  will  send  for 
her  use  all  things  needful." 

"  Most  cheerfully  will  I  prolong  my  daily  toil  for 
her  sake,"  replied  Claire  ;  "  and  cheerfully  will  I 
make  sacrifice  of  personal  comfort.  Yes,  let  her  re- 
main where  she  is,  so  long  as,  in  God's  providence, 


142  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


she  is  permitted  to  remain.  If  Jasper  continues  to 
withhold  the  price  of  her  maintenance,  there  will 
be  the  more  left  for  her  when  she  becomes  of  age  ; 
and  then,  if  there  are  defects  in  her  education,  a 
few  years  of  earnest  application  on  her  part,  will  re- 
move them.  Even  now,  we  could  compel  him  to  pay 
for  her  a  reasonable  sum,  but  in  securing  this,  we 
would  assuredly  lose  the  child,  for  this  man's  anger 
would  burn  hot  against  us." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,"  replied  Edith.  "  No, 
our  only  plain  course,  for  the  present,  is  to  look  away 
from  Jasper,  and  regard  Fanny  as  one  of  our  own 
children." 

To  this  conclusion  the  mind  of  Claire  and  his  wife 
came  firmly.  Then  the  painful  agitation  they  had 
for  some  time  suffered  gradually  subsided,  and  they 
began  earnestly  to  cast  about  for  the  ways  and 
means  whereby  so  large  an  extra  draft  as  was  likely 
to  be  made  upon  their  slender  income  could  be 
met. 

Two  propositions  were  made  by  Edith  :  one  was, 
that  they  should  make  a  reduction  in  their  expenses, 
by  moving  into  a  smaller  house.  They  now  paid 
two  hundred  dollars  annually  for  rent ;  and  she  was 
sure  that,  for  one  hundred  and  fifty,  they  might  suit 
themselves  very  well.  The  other  proposition  was, 
to  give  two  or  three  hours  every  evening,  after  the 
children  were  in  bed,  to  fine  needle-work,  in  which 
she  was  well  skilled. 

"  I  could  easily  earn  two  dollars  a  week,  in  this 
way,"  was  her  confident  remark. 

Claire,  who  had  other  plans  in  his  mind,  did  not 
speak  very  encouragingly  of  these  propositions, 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  143 


though  he  avoided  disapproval.  Increased  expense 
demanded  an  increase  of  income ;  and  his  thoughts 
were  all  now  bent  suggestively  in  that  direction. 
As  for  Edith,  her  burdens  were  heavy  enough ;  and 
her  husband,  though  he  did  not  check  her  generous 
enthusiasm,  by  no  means  acquiesced  in  the  plan  of 
evening  toil  for  his  wife  out  of  the  range  of  her 
many  domestic  duties. 

A  few  days  went  by,  with  no  incident  of  import- 
ance. Claire,  during  the  time,  appeared,  to  his 
wife  more  thoughtful  that  usual.  One  evening  he 
came  home  with  a  brighter  countenance. 

"Good  news,  Edie,"  said  he  in  a  cheerful  voice, 
as  soon  as  the  children's  glad  and  noisy  welcome  of 
their  father  was  over ;  and  he  drew  his  wife  aside 
as  he  spoke. 

"  Good  news,  dear,"  he  repeated.  "  I  was  sure 
the  way  would  open  for  us,  and  it  has  opened." 

"How,  Edward?"  asked  Edith,  with  a  quickly 
flushing  face.  "  How  has  it  opened  ?" 

"I've  secured  employment  for  my  evenings,  at 
six  dollars  a  week.  So  all  will  go  on  with  us  the 
same  as  usual.  The  only  drawback  lies  in  the  fact 
that  you  will  have  to  remain  at  home  alone.  But, 
for  the  sake  of  the  end,  you  will  bear  that  cheer- 
fully." 

The  light  which  had  come  into  Edith's  counte- 
nance faded. 

"  What  kind  of  employment  ?"  she  inquired,  with 
a  slight  huskiness  of  voice. 

"I've  engaged  to  act  as  clerk  in  an  auction  store, 
where  they  have  regular  night-sales." 

Edith  shook  her  head. 


144  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"I  thought  you  would  be  so  delighted,"  said  her 
husband,  evidently  much  disappointed. 

"  You  often  come  home,  now,  overwearied  with  the 
day's  labour,"  replied  Edith. 

"An  hour  at  tea-time  will  refresh  me  for  the 
evening's  work.  Don't  think  of  that  a  moment, 
Edith." 

"  How  can  I  help  thinking  of  it  ?  No,  no,  Ed- 
ward, you  must  not  do  this.  It  will  destroy  your 
health.  You  are  not  very  strong." 

"  My  health  is  perfectly  good,  Edith." 

But  Edith  shook  her  head — 

"  No,t  so  very  good.  You  look  paler,  and  are 
much  thinner  than  you  were  a  year  ago.  A  little 
over-exertion  throws  your  system  off  of  its  balance ; 
and  then  you  are  sick." 

"  I  will  be  very  careful  of  myself,"  replied 
Claire.  "  If,  after  a  few  weeks,  the  extra  labour  is 
found  to  be  too  severe,  I  can  give  up  the  place. 
Nothing  like  trying,  you  know,  dear." 

Still,  Edith  was  not  satisfied.  Very  strongly  she 
urged  her  husband  not  to  increase  his  labour  in  the 
degree  contemplated. 

"  Let  us  try  if  we  can  reduce  our  expenses  by  a 
closer  economy.  It  is  better  to  deny  ourselves  things 
not  necessary  to  health,  than  to  injure  health  by 
extra  labour." 

She  urged  this  view,  however,  in  vain.  Claire 
could  not,  without  at  least  a  trial  of  his  strength, 
decline  the  important  offer  which  had  been  made  to 
him.  And  so,  after  a  consultation  with  Mr.  Melle- 
ville,  he  entered  upon  his  new  employment,  leaving 
his  wife  to  spend  the  hours  of  his  absence  alone. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  145 


Not  idly  were  those  hours  spent.  What  she  had  at 
first  proposed  to  do,  she  now  began  to  execute.  With- 
out saying  any  thing  to  her  husband,  she  had  pro- 
cured, from  a  friend  who  kept  a  fancy-store,  and 
who  took  in  from  the  ladies  a  great  deal  of  work, 
some  fine  sewing ;  and  with  this  she  was  busily  oc- 
cupied until  his  return,  which  did  not  take  place  on 
the  first  night  until  near  eleven  o'clock. 

There  was  a  slight  drawback  in  the  pleasure  both 
felt  in  meeting  at  this  late  hour — the  drawback  of 
weariness.  Yet  their  hearts  were  tranquil  and  ele- 
vated in  the  consciousness  that  they  were  denying 
self  for  the  good  of  another — and  that  one  most  ten- 
derly beloved.  Again  the  way  had  become  plain 
before  them ;  and  if  strength  only  were  given  to 
bear  their  increased  burdens,  they  would  move  on 
with  even  lighter  footsteps  than  before. 

And  now,  after  having  lingered  thus  long  with 
the  humble  clerk,  let  us  turn  to  the  rich  merchant ; 
for  Jasper  has  become  a  man  of  extensive  posses- 
sions. Wealth  flowed  in  upon  him  with  extraordi- 
nary rapidity — not  in  the  regular  course  of  trade, 
overreaching  and  unscrupulous  as  he  was  in  dealing, 
but  through  what  are  called  fortunate  speculations. 
How  he  made  his  first  hundred  thousand  dollars — 
the  basis  of  his  present  very  large  fortune— was  not 
clearly  understood,  though  sundry  vague  rumours 
on  the  subject  were  afloat,  none  of  them,  however, 
very  near  the  truth,  except  in  the  admission  that  a 
fraud  on  somebody  had  been  committed.  But  let 
us  introduce  Mr.  Jasper. 

On  the  night  that  Claire  entered  upon  his  duties 
as  clerk  in  the  auction  store,  and  about  the  same 
13 


146  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


hour  that  his  duties  began,  Mr.  Jasper,  who  was 
walking  restlessly  the  floor  of  his  richly  furnished 
parlours,  his  mind  busy  with  some  large  money-mak- 
ing scheme,  yet  fretted  by  a  recent  disappointment, 
found  himself  suddenly  in  the  presence  of,  to  him, 
a  well-known  individual,  whose  ring  at  the  door  he 
had  not  observed. 

"Martin  !"  he  exclaimed,  in  no  affected  surprise. 
"  Is  it  possible  ?" 

"  Ah,  Jasper  !  How  are  you  ?  Right  glad  to 
get  sight  of  your  face  again  !"  said  the  other  fami- 
liarly, as  he  grasped  the  merchant's  passive  hand, 
and  squeezed  it  until  the  joints  cracked. 

"  When  did  you  arrive  in  the  city  ?"  returned 
Jasper,  as  he  reached  his  visitor  a  chair.  He  did 
not  speak  with  much  warmth ;  and  yet  there  was 
an  effort  to  be  at  ease  and  cordial. 

"  Some  two  hours  ago,"  said  Martin,  in  whose 
face  was  already  beginning  to  gather  a  few  lines 
in  token  of  the  sober  thoughts  that  lay  beneath  his 
assumed  smiling  exterior. 

"From  which  direction  did  you  come?" 

"West.     I'm  from  the  Upper  Mississippi." 

"Ah!" 

"  I  went  to  Galena  some  five  or  six  months  ago ; 
and  have  since  been  actively  engaged  in  lead-mining. 
A  great  business  that,  Mr.  Jasper." 

"  Ah  ?"     This  "  ah  ?"  was  particularly  chilling. 

"  There  are  more  rapid  fortunes  made  at  the  lead- 
mines  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Galena,  at  present, 
than  in  any  part  of  the  United  States,"  said  Martin, 
approaching,  by  rapid  advances,  the  subject  nearest 
to  his  thoughts. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  147 


"You  think  so?"  returned  Jasper,  with  cold  in- 
credulity. 

"I  know  so,"  was  the  positive  response.  ""I 
could  point  you  to  a  dozen  men  who  have  made 
their  tens  of  thousands  annually  for  the  last  five 
or  ten  years." 

"It  is  easy  to  talk  about  making  tens  of  thou- 
sands, Martin ;  but  the  fact  itself  is  a  more  difficult 
matter." 

"  A  fact  is  a  fact,  however,  Mr.  Jasper,"  said  the 
other.  "What  is  done,  is  done." 

"  Of  course." 

"It  is  a  fact  that  money  is  made  at  the  lead- 
mines,  hand  over  fist,"  continued  Martin.  "  Of  this 
I  am  prepared  to  give  you  the  strongest  kind  of 
evidence." 

"  Why  should  you  be  so  anxious  to  convince  me 
of  this  fact?"  returned  the  merchant.  "I  have 
quite  as  many  irons  in  the  fire  now  as  I  can  see 
to." 

"Ah!  That  may  be,"  said  Martin,  forcing  to 
his  rather  hard  features  a  bland  smile.  "  But  these 
new  irons  I  will  keep  from  burning." 

"  It's  no  use,  Martin,  to  talk  of  lead-mines  to 
me,"  said  Jasper  firmly.  "  I  am  spread  out  enough 
already.  Contraction,  not  expansion,  is  my  present 
motto.  I've  met  with  more  than  one  heavy  loss 
since  I  saw  you." 

"  Have  you,  indeed  ?  I'm  sorry  for  that.  But  a 
false  card  will  turn  up  now  and  then,  you  know. 
The  game  in  the  long  run  is  sure." 

"We're  sure  of  nothing,"  replied  Jasper,  -with 
considerable  feeling. 


148  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  I  wouldn't  like  to  say  that.  Of  course,  all  plans 
will  not  succeed ;  for  man's  judgment  is  far  from 
possessing  the  virtue  of  infallibility.  But  human 
reason  would  be  a  poor  endowment,  did  it  not  lead 
us,  in  most  cases,  to  right  conclusions,  if  we  are 
careful  in  our  modes  of  using  this  high  faculty." 

"The  purpose  of  your  visit  to  the  East,"  said  Jas- 
per, who  understood  perfectly  the  man  with  whom 
he  was  dealing,  and,  therefore,  determined  to  know 
at  once  the  length  and  breadth  of  what  he  was  ex- 
pected to  do,  "  is,  I  presume,  to  enlist  some  capital- 
ists here  in  a  lead-mining  speculation?" 

"  My  ideas  do  not  extend  quite  that  far,"  was 
Martin's  answer.  "  Too  many  cooks,  you  are  aware, 
sometimes  spoil  the  broth.  To  come  to  the  point 
at  once,  let  me  explain  the  purpose  of  my  present 
journey  to  the  East." 

"  Well ;  I  am  all  attention." 

"  My  fur-trade  business,  as  I  wrote  you  a  year 
ago,  turned  out  disastrously." 

"Yes." 

"  After  that,  I  opened  a  small  store  in  one  of  the 
frontier  towns,  and  I  did  very  well,  all  things  con- 
sidered. But  the  gain  was  too  slow  to  suit  my 
ideas  of  things ;  so,  meeting  with  a  fair  chance,  I 
sold  out,  and  bought  a  lead-mine,  which  I  have  been 
working  ever  since  to  good  profit.  Recently,  I 
struck  upon  one  of  the  richest  veins  ever  discovered. 
If  properly  worked,  it  will  yield  a  rapid  fortune. 
But  I  have  not  sufficient  capital  to  avail  myself  of 
the  advantages  offered,  and  have  come  on  here  to 
lay  the  matter  before  you,  and  to  offer  you  a  share 
in  the  business." 


WEALTH    WITHOUT    WINGS.  149 


Jasper  shook  his  head,  saying — 

"  I  have  more  business  on  my  hands  now,  Martin, 
than  I  can  possibly  attend  to." 

"You  don't  know  what  you  .are  declining,  Mr. 
Jasper,"  urged  Martin  warmly.  "You  havn't  yet 
looked  at  the  statements  which  I  am  prepared  to  lay 
before  you." 

"  I  do  know  one  thing,"  was  the  feeling  answer, 
"  and  that  is,  that  I  am  declining  trouble  and  cost. 
About  that  part  of  the  business,  there  can  be  little 
question." 

"Then,"  said  Martin,  his  manner  changing,  "I 
am  to  understand  that  you  do  not  wish  to  join  me 
in  this  matter  ?"  • 

"  Yes.  I  would  like  you  to  understand  that  dis- 
tinctly." 

"  Very  well.  I  am  sorry  you  refuse  so  advan- 
tageous an  investment  of  money ;  for  right  sure  am 
I  that  no  other  investment  you  can  make  will  turn 
out  as  this  would  have  done.  But,  as  you  have  de- 
clined, I  will  not  offer  a  share  in  my  good  fortune 
to  any  one  else ;  but  prosecute  the  work  to  my  own 
advantage." 

"  I  thought  you  hadn't  the  capital  to  do  that," 
said  Jasper,  speaking  with  ill-repressed  eagerness. 

"  Nor  have  I,"  coolly  answered  Martin.  "  The 
proposition  I  was  about  to  make  was  this — an  ad- 
vance of  twenty  thousand  dollars  capital  on  your 
part,  to  constitute  you  an  equal  partner  in  the  mine. 
But  this  you  decline." 

"  Certainly  !  certainly !  I  would  not  have  enter- 
tained it  for  a  moment." 

"  Exactly.  So  I  have  already  inferred.  I  will, 
13* 


150  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


therefore,  as  just  said,  retain  this  advantage  in  my 
own  hands.  But,  Mr.  Jasper,  I  shall  need  some  help." 

The  visitor  fixed  his  eyes  keenly  on  the  merchant 
as  he  said  this.  There  was  a  momentary  pause. 
Then  he  resumed. 

"  I  shall  only  want  ahout  ten  thousand  dollars, 
though ;  and  this  you  must  obtain  for  me." 

"  Martin  !  Do  you  think  I  am  made  of  money  ?" 
exclaimed  Jasper,  starting  to  his  feet,  and  facing 
his  companion,  in  the  attitude  and  with  the  expres- 
sion of  a  man  who,  finding  himself  in  the  presence 
of  an  enemy,  assumes  the  defensive. 

"  Oh  no,"  was  the  quiet  answer — "not  made  of 
money.  But,  for  a  particular  friend,  you  can  no  doubt, 
easily  raise  such  a  trifle  as  ten  thousand  dollars?" 

"  Trifle  !     You  mock  me,  sir  !" 

"  Don't  get  excited  about  this  matter,  Mr.  Jasper," 
coolly  returned  Martin,  whose  name  the  reader  has 
probably  recognised  as  that  of  an  agent  employed  by 
the  merchant  and  Grind,  the  lawyer,  some  years 
before,  in  making  investigations  relative  to  the  ex- 
istence of  coal  on  certain  lands  not  far  from  Read- 
ing, Pennsylvania.  "  Don't  get  excited,"  he  repeat- 
ed. "  That  will  do  no  good.  I  have  not  come  to 
rob  you.  I  don't  ask  you  to  give  me  ten  thousand 
dollars.  All  I  want  is  a  loan,  for  which  I  will 

good  security." 
What  kind  of  security?"  asked  Jasper  quickly. 

"  Security  on  my  lead-mine." 

"  Pooh  !  I  wouldn't  give  the  snap  of  a  finger  for 
such  security!" 

Jasper,  thrown  off  his  guard,  spoke  more  cpn- 
temptuously  than  was  .prudent.  . 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  151 


An  instant  change  was  visible  in  Martin,  who, 
rising,  commenced  buttoning  up  his  coat.  There 
was  about  him  every  mark  of  a  man  deeply  offended. 

"Good  evening,  sir!"  said  he,  with  alow,  formal 
bow,  yet  with  his  eyes  fixed  searchingly  in  those  of 
the  merchant. 

"  Martin," — Jasper  did  not  smile,  nor  was  there  in 
his  voice  the  slightest  affectation  of  good  feeling — 
yet  his  manner  and  tone  were  both  decisive, — "  Mar- 
tin, sit  down  again.  Talk  in  reason,  and  I  will  hear." 

The  man  resumed  his  seat,  and,  with  his  eyes  still 
in  those  of  Jasper,  said — 

"  I  have  talked  in  reason.  Yon  are  worth,  so  re- 
port says,  not  less  than  three  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. How  the  first  hundred  thousand  came,  is 
known,  certainly,  only  to  one  man  beside  you  and 
me.  In  procuring  that  large  sum  I  was  a  very  pro- 
minent agent." 

"You  have  already  been  paid  for  your  services  a 
dozen  times  over." 

"  There  may  be  a  difference  of  opinion  about  this," 
replied  the  man  boldly — "  and  there  is  a  difference 
of  opinion." 

"  I  have  already  advanced  you  over  five  thousand 
dollars." 

"  What  of  that !  Five  thousand  to  three  hundred 
thousand  that  you  have  made  by  the  operation." 

"You  are  in  error,  Martin,"  said  Jasper,  with  a 
blended  look  of  perplexity  and  distress.  "  I  am  not 
worth  the  sum  you  have  mentioned — nothing  like  it. 
My  losses  during  the  past  six  months  have  been  very 
heavy." 


152  TKUE  RICHES  ;  OR, 


"It  is  your  interest  to  say  this.  I  can  credit  as 
mucli  of  it  as  I  please." 

"  You  are  insulting !  You  presume  on  the  power 
a  knowledge  of  my  affairs  has  given  you.  I  will  look 
for  a  more  honourable  agent  the  next  time." 

"Honourable !  Ha !  ha !"  The  visitor  laughed  in 
a  low,  guttural  voice. 

"  Martin !  I  will  not  hear  this  from  any  living 
man." 

The  face  of  Jasper  was  almost  purple  with  sup- 
pressed anger. 

"Go!"  he  added.  "Leave  my  house  instantly. 
I  defy  you!" 

Scarcely  had  these  words  passed  his  lips,  ere  Martin 
glided  from  the  drawing-room,  and  in  a  few  moments 
the  street-door  shut  with  a  heavy,  reverberating  jar. 

The  merchant  stood,  like  one  bewildered,  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then,  as  he  sank  into  a  chair,  uttered 
a  low  groan.  For  a  long  time  he  remained  as  mo- 
tionless as  if  sleeping. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ON  leaving  the  house  of  Jasper,  Martin — who, 
instead  of  having  been  in  the  city  only  a  few  hours, 
arrived  two  days  previously — took  his  way  to  the 
office  of  Grind,  the  lawyer.  He  had  seen  this  indi- 
vidual already  several  times,  and  now  called  on 
him  again  by  appointment.  The  two  men,  on  meet- 
ing, exchanged  looks  of  intelligence. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  153 


"  Did  you  see  him  ?"  asked  the  lawyer,  as  Martin 
took  a  proffered  chair. 

"  I  saw  him,"  was  replied. 

"  Can  you  make  any  thing  out  of  him  ?' 

"  I  think  so.  He  fights  a  little  hard ;  but  the 
odds  are  against  him." 

"  How  much  did  you  ask  him  to  loan  you  ?" 

"Ten  thousand?" 

"  Martin !  That's  cutting  a  little  too  sharp." 

"Not  a  bit.     He'll  never  miss  such  a  trifle." 

"  You  can't  bleed  him  that  deep,"  said  the  lawyer. 

"Can't  I?  You'll  see;  I  could  get  twenty  thou- 
sand. But  I'm  disposed  to  be  generous.  Ten 
thousand  I  must  and  will  have." 

And  the  man  laughed  in  a  low,  self-satisfied,  si- 
nister chuckle. 

"  He's  able  enough,"  remarked  Grind. 

"  So  you  have  told  me.  And  if  he  is  able,  he 
must  pay.  I  helped  him  to  a  fortune,  and  it  is  but 
fair  that  he  should  help  me  a  little,  now  that  a  for- 
tune is  in  my  grasp.  I  only  want  the  money  as  a 
loan." 

"  Wouldn't  five  thousand  answer  your  purpose  ?" 
asked  the  lawyer.  "  That  is  a  large  sum.  It  is  not 
a  very  easy  matter  for  even  a  rich  man,  who  is  en- 
gaged heavily  in  business,  to  lay  down  ten  thousand 
dollars  at  call." 

"  Five  thousand  will  not  do,  Mr.  Grind." 

"  Jasper  has  lost,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  twenty 
thousand  dollars  in  three  months." 

"  So  much  ?" 

"  At  least  that  sum.  Money  came  in  so  fast,  that 
he  grew  a  little  wild  in  his  speculations,  and  played 


154  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


his  cards  with  the  dashing  boldness  of  a  gambler 
while  in  a  run  of  luck.  I  cautioned  him,  but  to  no 
good  purpose.  One  of  his  latest  movements  had 
been  to  put  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  a  cotton 
factory :" 

"Poh!     What  folly." 

"  A  most  egregious  blunder.  But  he  fancies  him- 
self an  exceedingly  shrewd  man." 

"  He  has  been  remarkably  fortunate  in  his  opera- 
tions." 

"  So  he  has.  But  he  is  more  indebted,  I  think, 
to  good  luck  than  to  a  sound  judgment.  He  has 
gone  up  to  dizzy  height  so  rapidly,  that  his  weak 
head  is  already  beginning  to  swim." 

"  What  has  become  of  that  pretty  little  ward  of 
his  ?"  asked  Martin,  somewhat  abruptly. 

"  Why  didn't  you  put  that  question  to  him  ?"  re- 
plied Grind.  "  You  would  have  been  more  likely 
to  get  a  satisfactory  answer." 

"  I  may  do  so  after  I  have  the  ten  thousand  dollars 
in  my  pocket.  That  was  rather  a  shameful  business, 
though ;  wasn't  it  ?  I  never  had  a  very  tender  con- 
science, but  I  must  own  to  having  suffered  a  few 
twinges  for  my  part  in  the  transaction.  He  received 
over  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  land  ?" 

"  Yes ;  and  that  clear  of  some  heavy  fees  that  you 
and  I  claimed  for  services  rendered." 

"  Humph  !  I'm  not  quite  paid  yet.  But,  touch- 
ing the  child,  Mr.  Grind :  don't  you  know  any  thing 
about  her?" 

"  Nothing,  personally." 

"  What  was  it  Jasper  paid  for  the  tract  of  land  ?" 

"  One  thousand  dollars." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  155 


"  Paid  it  into  his  own  hands  as  the  child's  guar- 
dian." 

"  Yes ;  that  was  the  simple  transaction." 

"Has  the  public  never  made  a  guess  at  the  real 
truth  of  this  matter  ?" 

"Never,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes.  There 
have  been  some  vague  whisperings — but  no  one  ha's 
seemed  to  comprehend  the  matter." 

"The  purchase  was  made  in  your  name,  was  it 
not?" 

"Yes."^ 

•"  That  is,  you  bought  from  Jasper  as  the  child's 
guardian ;  and  afterward  sold  it  back  to  him." 

"Yes." 

"  Why  didn't  you  hold  on  to  it  when  it  was  fairly 
in  your  hands  ?  I  only  wish  I  had  been  in  your 
place?" 

The  lawyer  shrugged  his  shoulders,  but  did  not 
commit  himself  by  acknowledging  that  he  had,  more 
than  once,  regretted  his  omission  to  claim  the  pro- 
perty while  legally  in  his  hands,  and  defy  Jasper  to 
wrest  it  from  him.  * . 

Leaving  these  two  men,  whose  relation  to  Jasper 
is  sufficiently  apparent  to  the  reader's  mind,  we  will 
return  to  the  merchant,  whom  we  left  half-stupefied 
at  the  bold  demand  of  an  associate  in  wrong-doing. 
A  long  time  passed  ere  his  activity  of  mind  returned. 
While  he  sat,  brooding — dreamily — over  what  had 
just  passed,  a  little  daughter  came  into  the  parlour, 
and  seeing  him,  came  prattling  merrily  to  his  side. 
But  in  attempting  to  clamber  upon  his  knee,  she  was 
pushed  away  rudely,  and  with  angry  words.  For  a 
few  moments  she  stood  looking  at  him,  her  little 


156  TRUE   RICHES  ;    OR, 


breast  rising  and  falling  rapidly;  then  she  turned 
off,  and  went  slowly,  and  with  a  grieving  heart,  from 
the  room. 

Jasper  sighed  heavily  as  the  child  passed  out  of 
sight ;  and  rising  up,  began  moving  about  with  a 
slow  pace,  his  eyes  cast  upon  the  floor.  The  more 
h'e  dwelt  upon  the  visit  of  Martin — whom,  in  his 
heart,  he  had  wished  dead — the  more  uneasy  he  felt, 
and  the  more  he  regretted  having  let  him  depart  in 
anger.  He  would  give  twice  ten  thousand  dollars 
rather  than  meet  the  exposure  which  this  man  could 
make. 

Riches  was  the  god  of  Leonard  Jasper.  Alas  ! 
how  little  power  was  there  in  riches  to  make  his 
heart  happy.  "Wealth  beyond  what  he  had  hoped 
to  obtain  in  a  whole  lifetime  of  devotion  to  mam- 
mon, had  flowed  in  upon  him  in  two  or  three  short 
years.  But,  was  he  a  happier  man  ?  Did  he  enjoy 
life  with  a  keener  zest  ?  Was  his  sleep  sweeter  ? 
Ah,  no  !  In  all  that  went  to  make  up  the  true 
pleasure  of  life,  the  humble  clerk,  driven  to  pro- 
longed hours  of  labour,  beyond  what  his  strength 
could  well  bear,  through  his  ill-nature  and  injustice, 
was  far  the  richer  man.  And  his  wealth  consisted 
not  alone  in  the  possession  of  a  clear  conscience 
and  a  sustaining  trust  in  Providence.  There  was 
the  love  of  many  hearts  to  bless  him.  In  real  house- 
hold treasures  few  were  as  rich  as  he. 

But,  in  home  treasures,  how  poor  was  Leonard 
Jasper  !  Poor  to  the  extreme  of  indigence  !  The  love 
of  his  children,  reaching  toward  him  spontaneously 
its  tendrils,  he  rejected  in  the  selfish  devotion  of  every 
thought  and  feeling  to  business  as  a  means  of  ac- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  157 


quiring  wealth.  And  as  to  the  true  riches,  which 
many  around  him  were  laying  up  where  no  moth 
coulcl  corrupt  nor  thieves  break  through  and  steal, 
he  rejected  them  as  of  no  account. 

With  such  a  man  as  Leonard  Jasper,  holding  the 
position  of  head  of  a  family,  how  little  of  the  true 
home  spirit,  so  full  of  tenderness  and  mutual  love, 
is  to  be  expected  !  Had  Mrs.  Jasper  been  less  a 
woman  of  the  world ;  had  she  been  capable  of  lov- 
ing any  thing  out  of  herself,  and,  therefore,  of  lov- 
ing her  husband  and  children,  with  that  true  love 
which  seeks  their  higher  good,  a  different  state  of 
things  would  have  existed  in  this  family,  spite  of 
Jasper's  unfeeling  sordidness.  But,  as  it  was,  no 
fire  of  love  melted  the  natural  perverseness  inherited 
by  the  children,  and  they  grew  up,  cherishing  mu- 
tual antagonism,  and  gradually  coming  to  regard 
their  parents  only  as  persons  with  power  to  thwart 
their  inclinations,  or  as  possessing  the  means  of 
gratifying  their  desires. 

With  all  his  wealth,  how  few  were  the  real  sources 
of  happiness  possessed  by  Jasper  !  Pressed  down 
with  anxiety  about  the  future,  and  forced  to  toil  be- 
yond his  strength,  how  many  of  life's  truest  bless- 
ings were  poured  into  the  lap  of  Edward  Claire  ! 

The  sleep  of  the  poor  clerk,  that  night,  was  sound 
and  refreshing.  The  merchant  tossed  to  and  fro  on 
his  pillow  until  long  after  the  midnight  watches  ad- 
vanced upon  the  morning ;  and  then,  when  wearied 
nature  claimed  her  due,  he  slept  only  for  brief  pe- 
riods, continually  startled  by  frightful  dreams. 

At  an  early  hour  next  day,  he  called  upon  Grind, 
who  was  still  his  legal  adviser. 
14 


158  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Have  you  seen  Martin?"  he  asked  the  moment 
he  entered  the  office. 

"  Martin  !  Surely  he  is  not  in  the  city !"  returned 
Grind  evasively. 

"He  surely  is,"  said  Jasper,  fretfully. 

"  Martin.  Where  in  the  world  did  he  come  from  ? 
I  thought  him  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  What  does  he  want  ?" 

"No  good,  of  course." 

"  That  may  be  said  safely.     Have  you  seen  him  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  When  ?     This  morning  ?" 

"  No  ;  he  called  at  my  house  last  night."    ;V;i3 

"  Called  last  night !     What  did  he  want  ?"  • 

"  Ten  thousand  dollars,"  replied  Jasper. 

"Ten  thousand  dollars!!"  The  lawyer's  well- 
feigned  surprise  completed  the  deception  practised 
upon  Jasper.  He  did  not,  for  an  instant,  suspect 
collusion  between  him  and  Martin. 

"Yes;  he  very. coolly  proposed  that  I  should 
lend  him  that  sum,  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  some 
lead-mining  operations  in  the  west." 

"Preposterous !" 

"  So  I  told  him." 

"  Well,  what  did  he  say  ?" 

"  Oh,  he  blustered,  and  made  covert  threats  of  ex- 
posure, of  course." 

"  The  scoundrel !"  said  Grind,  fiercely. 

"  He's  a  villain  double-dyed.  I  have  never  ceased 
to  regret  that  we  brought  him  into  this  business. 
We  should  have  had  a  man  of  better,  spirit — of  a 
nicer  sense  of  honour." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Jasper,  that  is  true  enough,"  replied 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  159 


Grind ;  "but  the  mischef  is,  your  men  of  nicer  ho- 
nour are  too  squeamish  for  the  kind  of  work  in  which 
we  employed  him.  This  is  the  defect  in  all  such 
operations.  Men  cannot  be  thoroughly  trusted." 

The  merchant  sighed.  He  felt  too  deeply  the 
force  of  Grind's  remark. 

"  You  know,"  said  he,  "this  Martin  better  than  I 
do.  What  is  his  character  ?  Is  he  a  mere  blusterer, 
whose  bark  is  worse  than  his  bite  ;  or  is  he  vindic- 
tive and  unscrupulous  ?" 

"  Both  vindictive  and  unscrupulous.  I  must  warn 
you  not  to  provoke  his  ill-will.  He  would  take  de- 
light in  exposing  all  he  knows  about  this  business, 
if  he  is  once  fairly  turned  against  you.  A  fast 
friend — he  is  a  bitter  enemy." 

"  But  see  what  a  price  he  demands  for  his  friend- 
ship !  I  have  already  given  him  some  five  thousand 
dollars  for  his  services,  and  now  he  demands  ten 
more.  In  a  year  he  will  be  back,  and  coolly  seek 
to  levy  a  contribution  of  twenty  thousand  dollars." 

"  I  understood  you  to  say  that  he  only  asked  for 
a  loan,"  remarks  the  lawyer. 

"  A  loan  !  That's  mere  mockery.  If  you  placed 
ten  thousand  dollars  in  his  hands,  would  you  ever 
expect  to  see  the  first  copper  of  it  again  ?" 

Grind  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Of  course  you  would  not.  It's  a  levy,  not  a 
loan — and  so  he,  in  his  heart,  regards  it." 

"He's  a  dangerous  man,"  said  the  lawyer,  "and 

it's  to  be  regretted  that  you  ever  had  any  thing  to 

do  with  him.    But,  now  that  your  hand  is  in  the  lion's 

'  mouth,  the  wisest  thing  is  to  get  it  out  with  as  little 

detriment  as  possible." 


160  TRUE   RICHES  ;    OR, 


"  Ten  thousand  dollars  !"  ejaculated  the  merchant. 
"  Why,  it's  downright  robbery  !  He  might  just  as 
well  stop  me  on  the  highway." 
-  "  It's  a  hard  case,  I  must  own,  Mr.  Jasper.  You 
might  resist  him,  and,  at  least  not  let  him  obtain 
what  he  demands  without  a  struggle ;  but  the  ques- 
tion is,  may  you  not  receive  a  mortal  wound  in  the 
contest." 

"Ah!  that  is  the  rub,  Grind.  Rather  than 
meet  the  exposure  he  could  make,  I  would  give 
twenty  thousand  dollars ;  yea,  half,  if  not  all  I  am 
worth." 

Can  wealth,  held  on  such  a  tenure,  and  in  such 
a  state  of  mind,  be  called  riches  ?  Ah,  no.  How 
the  possession  is  changed  from  a  blessing  into  a 
curse ! 

"Then,  Mr.  Jasper,"  replied  the  lawyer,  "there 
is  but  one  course  plain  before  you.  If  you  make 
this  man  your  enemy,  he  will  surely  pursue  you  to 
the  death.  There  is  no  pity  in  him." 

Jasper  groaned  aloud.  Ere  he  could  reply,  the 
door  of  the  office  opened,  and  the  individual  about 
whom  they  were  conversing  entered.  With  the  skill 
of  practised  actors,  each  instantly  assumed  a  part, 
and  hid,  under  a  false  exterior,  their  true  states  of 
mind.  With  something  of  cordiality  each  greeted 
the  other ;  while  side-glances,  unobserved  by  Jas- 
per, passed  rapidly  between  Martin  and  the  lawyer. 
A  few  commonplace  inquiries  and  remarks  followed, 
when  Jasper  made  a  movement  to  go,  saying,  as  he 
did  so — 

."  Mr.  Martin,  I  will  be  pleased  to  see  you  some 
time  to-day." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  161 


"  Thank  you ;  I  will  do  myself  the  pleasure  to 
call,"  was  coolly  answered.  "At  what  time  will 
you  be  most  at  leisure  ?" 

"During  the  afternoon.  Say  at  four  or  five 
o'clock." 

"  I  will  be  there  at  four,"  returned  Martin,  in  a 
bland  voice,  and  with  a  courteous  inclination  of  the 
head. 

"Very  well — you  will  find  me  in." 

The  merchant  bowed  to  the  accomplices — they 
were  nothing  better — and  retired. 

"  Humph  !  I  didn't  expect  to  find  him  here  quite 
so  early,"  said  Martin,  with  a  sinister  smile.  "I 
rather  guess  I  frightened  him  last  night." 

"  I  rather  guess  you  did,"  returned  the  lawyer, 
his  countenance  reflecting  the  light  that  played  on 
the  other's  face. 

"  Will  the  money  come  ?"  asked  Martin. 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"  That's  good.     Ten  thousand  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  He  came  to  consult  you,  of 
course  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  what  did  he  say  ?" 

"  More  than  I  need  take  time  to  repeat.  He  is 
thoroughly  frightened.  That  is  enough  for  you  to 
know." 

"  Ten  thousand,"  said  Martin  musingly,  and 
speaking  to  himself.  "  Ten  thousand  !  That  will 
do  pretty  well.  But,  if  he  will  bleed  for  fifteen 
thousand,  why  may  I  not  set  the  spring  of  my 


162  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


lancet  a  little  deeper.  I  can  make  good  use  of  my 
money." 

"No — no,"  returned  the  lawyer  quickly.  "  Ten 
thousand  is  enough.  Don't  play  the  dog  and  the 
shadow.  This  is  over-greediness." 

"  Well — well.  Just  as  you  say.  I  can  make 
him  another  friendly  call  in  a  year  or  so  from  this 
time." 

The  lawyer  smiled  in  a  way  peculiar  to  himself, 
and  then  said — 

"  Hadn't  you  better  be  content  with  five  thousand 
now.  This  goose  will,  no  doubt,  lay  golden  eggs 
for  some  years  to  come." 

"A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in  the  bush," 
was  the  quick  answer.  "  I  have  gone  in  now  for 
the  ten  thousand ;  and  ten  thousand  I  must  have. 
I  may  be  content  with  a  smaller  sum  at  my  next 
appearance." 

"You  are  to  see  him  at  four  o'clock?"  said 
Grind. 

"  Yes ;  that  was  the  hour  I  named.  So  you 
must  get  all  the  necessary  papers  ready  for  me  in 
time.  I  don't  want  to  let  him  get  the  hitch  on 
me ,  of  seeking  to  extort  money.  I  only  ask  a 
loan,  and  will  give  bona-fide  security  on  my  lead-, 
mine."  Then,  with  one  of  his  low  chuckles,  he 
added — "If  he  can  get  ten  thousand  dollars  out 
of  it,  he  will  do  more  than  any  one  else  can.  Ha ! 
ha!  ha!" 

"  The  evidence  of  property,  which  you  have," 
said  Grind,  "i$  all  as  it  shows  on  the  face  ?" 

"  It  is,  upon  honour." 

"  Very  well.     Then  I  will  draw  the  necessary 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  163 


papers,  so  that  as  little  delay  as  possible  need  occur 
in  the  transference  of  security  for 'the  loan." 

What  further  passed  between  the  parties  is  of  no 
consequence  to  the  reader. 

At  four  o'clock,  precisely,  Martin  was  at  the 
store  of  Jasper. 

"  I  hope  to  find  you  a  little  more  reasonable  to- 
day," said  the  merchant,  with  a  forced  smile,  as  the 
two  men,  after  retiring  to  a  remote  part  of  the 
store,  sat  down  and  faced  each  other. 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  do  any  thing  out  of  rea- 
son," returned  Martin.  His  manner  was  more  se- 
rious than  Jasper's. 

"  I  think  your  present  demand  out  of  reason," 
was  answered. 

"  No  good  can  possibly  come,  Mr.  Jasper,"  said 
Martin,  with  a  slight  air  of  impatience,  "  out  of  an 
argument  between  you  and  I,  on  this  subject. 
The  sum  I  named  to  you  last  night  I  must  have. 
Nothing  less  will  meet  my  present  want.  But, 
understand  me  distinctly,  I  only  ask  it  as  a  loan, 
and  come  prepared  to  give  you  the  fullest  security." 

As  Mr.  Martin  said  this,  he  drew  a  package  of 
papers  from  his  pocket.  "  Here  are  the  necessary 
documents,"  he  added. 

"  Ten  thousand  dollars  !  Why,  my  dear  sir,  a 
sum  like  this  is  not  to  be  picked  up  in  the  streets." 

"I  am  very  well  aware  of  that,"  was  the  cool 
answer.  "  Had  such  been  the  case,  I  never  would 
have  troubled  you  with  procuring  the  sum ;  nor 
would  I  have  gone  to  the  expense  and  fatigue  of  a 
long  journey." 

"  You  certainly  ought  to  know  enough  of  busi- 


164  TRUE  RICHES;  OB, 

ness,  Martin,  to  be  aware  that  ten  thousand  dollars 
is  not  always  to  be  commanded,  even  by  the 
wealthiest,  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"  I  do  not  ask  the  whole  sum  in  cash,"  replied 
Martin.  "  Three  or  four  thousand  in  ready  money 
will  do.  Your  notes  at  four  and  six  months  will 
answer  very  well  for  the  balance." 

But  we  will  not  record  further  what  passed  be- 
tween these  two  men.  It  was  all  in  vain  that  Jas- 
per strove  to  escape ;  his  adversary  was  too  power- 
ful. Ere  they  separated,  Martin  had  in  his  pos- 
session, in  cash  and  promissory  notes,  the  sum  of 
ten  thousand  dollars ! 

Already  were  the  ill-gotten  riches  of  Leonard 
Jasper  taking  to  themselves  wings.  Unhappy  man  ! 
How  wretched  was  he  during  that  and  many  suc- 
ceeding days  !  Rolling,  so  to  speak,  in  wealth,  he 
yet  possessed  not  life's  highest  blessing,  a  truly 
contented  mind,  flowing  from  conscious  rectitude 
and  an  abiding  trust  in  Providence.  Without  these, 
how  poor  is  even  he  who  counts  his  millions  !  With 
them,  how  rich  is  the  humble  toiler,  who,  receiving 
day  by  day  his  daily  bread,  looks  up  and  is  thankful ! 


WEALTH   AVITIIOUT   WINGS.  165 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  FEW  weeks  subsequent  to  the  occurrences 
mentioned  in  the  last  chapter,  Leonard  Jasper 
received  a  call  from  Mr.  Melleville,  in  whose  ser- 
vice Claire  still  remained.  The  greeting  of  the  two 
men  was  distant,  yet  courteous.  A  few  words  on 
current  topics  passed  between  them,  after  which  Mr. 
Melleville  said — 

"  I  have  called  to  ask  you  a  question  or  two  in 
regard  to  a  child  of  the  late  Mr.  Elder,  to  whom 
you  are  guardian." 

The  blood  came  instantly  to  the  face  of  Jasper, 
who  was  not  prepared  for  this  ;  and  in  spite  of  his 
struggle  to  seem  self-possessed,  his  eyes  sank  under 
those  of  his  visitor.  In  a  few  moments,  he  recovered 
himself,  and  replied — 

"  The  child,  you  mean,  who  is  boarding  with  Ed- 
ward Claire  ?" 

"The  same."  The  eyes  of  Melleville  were 
fixed  on  those  of  Jasper  so  steadily,  that  the  latter 
wavered,  and,  .finally,  again  dropped  to  the  floor. 

"  Well,  I  am  ready  to  hear  any  thing  that  you 
have  to  say."  Jasper  had  thrown  off,  once  more, 
the  vague  sense  of  coming  evil  that  made  him  cower 
under  the  steady  gaze  of  Melleville. 

"I  learn,"  said  the  latter,  "from  Mr.  Claire,  that 
you  refuse  to  pay  any  further  sums  for  her  main« 
tenance.  Is  the  property  left  by  her  father,  to 


166  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


•which  common  report  has  affixed  considerable  value, 
exhausted,  or" 

"I  have  refused  to  pay  him  any  further  sums," 
said  Jasper,  in  a  quick,  excited  voice,  interrupting 
Mr.  Melleville.  "  Our  contract,  regularly  entered 
into,  has  expired  by  limitation.  He  was  to  have 
the  care  of  her  only  until  she  reached  her  twelfth 
year.  Of  this  fact  he  is  clearly  advised,  and  I 
wonder  at  his  pertinacity  in  endeavouring  to  retain 
the  child,  when  he  knows  that  I,  her  guardian,  wish 
to  have  her  in  my  own  possession." 

"  He  has  had  her  ever  since  she  was  a  little 
child ;  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  now  strongly 
attached  to  her.  In  fact,  she  regards  them  as 
her  parents ;  and  their  affection  for  her  is  not  ex- 
ceeded by  their  affection  for  their  own  children. 
To  separate  them  would  be  exceedingly  painful  to 
all  parties.  As  for  the  child,  it  would  make  her 
very  unhappy." 

"I  can't  help  that,  Mr.  Melleville."  Jasper  spoke 
coldly. 

"  Under  all  the  circumstances,"  said  Mr.  Melle- 
•ville,  after  a  pause,  speaking  slowly,  and  with  con- 
siderable emphasis  in  his  words,  "  it  is  my  opi- 
nion that  you  had  better  let  the  child  remain  where 
she  is." 

•>  "  Why  do  you  say  so  ?"  ,  Jasper  spoke  with  ill- 
concealed  surprise  ;  and  the  uneasy,  suspicious  man- 
ner, at  first  exhibited,  returned. 

"  Claire  regards  the  child  as  his  own  ;  and  must 
so  continue  to  regard  her,  even  though  taken  out  of 
his  hands." 

"  Well,  what  of  that  ?" 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  167 


"  It  is  for  you,  Mr.  Jasper,"  was  returned,  "  to 
determine  for  yourself,  whether  the  surveillance  of 
a  man  like  Claire,  who  cannot  now  cease  to  feel  a 
parent's  interest  in  your  ward,  will  be  altogether 
agreeable." 

"  Surveillance  !  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  don't 
understand  this  language.  It  looks  like  an  effort 
to  force  me  into  measures.  Pray,  what  have  I  to 
fear  from  Edward  Claire?" 

"Sometimes,"  replied  Melleville,  with  a  slow, 
meaning  enunciation,  "  those  we  regard  as  most 
insignificant  are  the  very  ones  we  should  most 
fear." 

"  Fear  !  Fear,  Mr.  Melleville  !  You  make  use 
of  strange  language." 

"Perhaps  I  do,"  was  answered.  "And,  as  it 
seems  unpleasant  to  you,  I  will  say  no  more.  I  did 
not  mean,  when  I  called,  to  speak  just  as  I  have 
done.  But,  as  the  words  have  been  uttered,  I  beg 
you  to  weigh  them  well,  and  to  believe  that  they 
have  a  meaning.  Good  morning." 

Jasper  suppressed  the  utterance  of  the  word 
"stay,"  which  arose  to  his  lips,  and  returned  the 
bow  of  Mr.  Melleville,  who  left  without  further 
remark. 

"  What  can  this  mean  ?"  Thus  mused  Leonard 
Jasper,  when  alone.  "  Can  this  scoundrel,  Martin, 
have  dropped  a  hint  of  the  truth  ?"  A  slight  shiver 
went  through  his  nerves.  "  Something  is  wrong. 
There  is  suspicion  in  the  thought  of  Melleville.  I 
didn't  look  for  trouble  in  this  quarter." 

To  his  own  unpleasant  reflections  we  will  leave 


168  TRUE   RICHES  ;    OR, 


the  merchant,  and  return  to  Edward  Claire  and  his 
true-minded,  loving-hearted  wife. 

For  a  week  or  two  after  the  former  entered  upon 
his  new  duties  as  assistant  clerk  in  a  night-auction, 
he  experienced  no  serious  inconvenience  from  his 
more  prolonged  labours,  although  it  did  not  escape 
the  watchful  eyes  of  his  wife  that  his  complexion 
was  losing  its.  freshness,  and  that  his  appetite  was 
far  from  being  so  good  as  before.  After  this,  he 
began  to  suffer  oppressive  weariness,  that  made  the 
evening's  toil  a  daily  increasing  burden.  Then 
succeeded  a  feverish  state,  accompanied  by  pains  in 
the  head,  back,  and  through  the  breast.  Edith 
remonstrated,  even  with  tears ;  but  still  Claire 
went  nightly  to  his  task,  though  each  successive 
evening  found  him  with  less  and  less  ability  for  its 
performance. 

At  last,  he  came  home  from  the  store  of  Mr. 
Melleville,  at  the  usual  tea-time,  feeling  so  unwell 
that  he  was  forced  to  lie  down.  He  had  no  appe- 
tite for  supper,  and  merely  sipped  part  of  a  cup  of 
tea  brought  to  him  by  his  wife  as  he  still  reclined 
upon  the  bed. 

"  Don't  get  up,"  said  Edith,  seeing  her  hus- 
band, after  he  had  lain  for  some  time,  about  to 
rise. 

"  I  can't  lie  here  any  longer  ;  it's  nearly  seven 
o'clock  now." 

"  You're  not  going  out  to-night !" 

"  0  yes ;  I  must  be  at  the  store.  There  is  no 
one  to  take  my  place,  and  the  sales  will  begin  by 
the  time  I  can  get  there." 

"  Butt  you  are  too  sick  to  go  out,  Edward." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  169 


•  "  I  feel  much  better  than  I  did,  Edith.  This  little 
rest  has  refreshed  me  a  great  deal." 

"No — no,  Edward !  You  must  not  go  away," 
said  his  wife  in  a  distressed  voice.  "  You  are  sick 
now,  and  the  extra  exertion  of  an  evening  may 
throw  you  into  a  serious  illness." 

"  I  feel  a  great  deal  better,  dear,"  urged  Claire. 
"But,  sick  or  well,  I  must  be  there  to-night,  for  the 
sale  cannot  go  on  without  me.  If  I  do  not  feel 

better  to-morrow,  I  will  ask  Mr.  F to  get  some 

one^  temporarily,  in  my  place." 

Still  Edith  opposed,  but  in  vain. 

By  the  time  Claire  arrived  at  the  auction  store, 
his  head  was  throbbing  with  a  pain  so  intense  that 
he  could  scarcely  see.  Still,  he  resolutely  perse- 
vered in  his  determination  to  go  through,  if  possible, 
with  the  duties  of  the  evening ;  and  so,  taking  his 
place  at  his  desk,  as  the  auctioneer  went  upon  the 
stand  to  cry  the  goods  which  had  been  advertised 
for  sale,  he  prepared  to  keep  the  usual  record  of 
purchasers  and  prices.  This  he  was  able  to  do  for 
half  an  hour,  when  overtaxed  and  exhausted  nature 
could  bear  up  no  longer. 

"Mr.  Claire,"  said  the  auctioneer,  as  he  took  in 
hand  a  new  article,  "  did  you  make  that  last  entry  ? 
— Mr.  Jackson,  ten  cents  a  yard." 

Claire's  head  had  fallen  over  on  the  book  in  which 
he  had  been  writing,  and  the  auctioneer,  supposing 
him  only  yielding  to  a  momentary  feeling  of  fatigue, 
or  indolence,  thus  called  his  attention  to  his  duties. 

But  Claire  made  no  answer. 

"  Say  !  young  man  !     Are  you  asleep  !"      The 

15 


170  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


auctioneer  spoke  now  with  some  sharpness  of  tone ; 
but,  as  before,  his  words  were  not  heeded. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Mr.  Claire  ?  Are  you 
sick  ?" 

Still  no  response  or  movement. 

"  Mr.  Claire  !  Bless  me  !"  The  auctioneer  was 
now  by  his  side,  with  his  hand  on  him.  "  Bring 
some  water,  quick  !  He's  fainted — or  is  dead ! 
Here  !  some  one  help  me  to  lay  him  down." 

Two  or  three  men  came  quickly  behind  the  auc- 
tioneer's stand  and  assisted  to  lift  the  insensible 
man  from  the  high  stool  on  which  he  was  seated, 
and  place  his  body  in  a  reclining  position.  Then 
water  was  dashed  into  his  face,  and  various  other 
means  of  restoration  used.  Full  ten  minutes  passed 
before  signs  of  returning  life  were  exhibited.  His 
recovery  was  very  slow,  and  it  was  nearly  an  hour 
before  he  was  well  enough  to  be  removed  to  his 
dwelling. 

The  shock  of  his  appearance,  supported  from  the 
carriage  in  which  he  had  been  conveyed  home,  by 
two  men,  was  terrible  to  his  wife,  whose  anxiety  and 
fear  had  wrought  her  feelings  already  up  to  a  high 
pitch  of  excitement. 

"  Oh  !  what  is  the  matter  ?  What  has  happen- 
ed ?"  she  cried,  wringing  her  hands,  while  her  face 
blanched  to  a  deathly  paleness. 

"  Don't  be  frightened,"  returned  Claire,  smiling 
feebly.  "  It  was  only  a  slight  fainting  fit.  I'm 
over  it  now." 

"That's  all,  madam,"  said  the  men  who  had 
brought  him  home.  "  He  merely  fainted.  Don't 
be  alarmed.  It's  all  over." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  171 


After  receiving  the  thanks  of  Claire  and  his  as- 
surances that  he  needed  nothing  further  from  their 
kindness,  the  men  retired,  and  Edward  then  made 
every  effort  in  his  power  to  calm  down  the  feelings 
of  his  wife,  who  continued  weeping.  This  was  no 
easy  task,  particularly  as  he  was  unable  long  to  hide 
the  many  evidences  of  serious  illness  from  which  he 
was  suffering.  Against  his  remonstrance,  so  soon  as 
she  saw  how  it  was  with  him,  Mrs.  Claire  sent  off 
the  domestic  for  their  family  physician;  who  on 
learning  the  causes  which  led  to  the  condition  in 
which  he  found  his  patient,  hesitated  not  to  say  that 
he  must,  as  he  valued  his  life,  give  up  the  night 
tasks  he  had  imposed  upon  himself. 

"  Other  men,"  said  Claire,  in  answer  to  this,  "  de- 
vote quite  as  many  hours  to  business." 

"All  men  are  not  alike  in  constitution,"  returned 
the  physician.  "  And  even  the  strongest  do  not 
make  overdrafts  upon  the  system,  without  finding, 
sooner  or  later,  a  deficit  in  their  health-account. 
As  for  you,  nature  has  not  given  you  the  physical 
ability  for  great  endurance.  You  cannot  overtask 
yourself  without  a  derangement  of  machinery." 

How  reluctantly,  and  with  what  a  feeling  of  weak- 
ness, Claire  acquiesced  in  this  decision,  the  reader 
may  imagine. 

The  morning  found  him  something  better,  but  not 
well  enough  to  sit  up.  Mrs.  Claire  had,  by  this 
time,  recovered  in  a  measure  her  calmness  and  con- 
fidence. She  had  thought  much,  during  the  sleep- 
less hours  of  the  preceding  night,  and  though  the 
future  was  far  from  opening  clearly  to  her  straining 
vision,  her  mind  rested  in  a  well-assured  confidence 


172  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


that  all  things  would  work  together  for  their  good. 
She  knew  in  whom  she  trusted.  On  the  Rock  of 
Ages  she  had  built  the  habitation  where  dwelt  her 
higher  hopes ;  and  the  storms  of  this  world  had  no 
power  to  prevail  against  it. 

How  little  dreamed  gentle  Fanny  Elder — or  Fan- 
ny Claire,  as  she  was  called — when  she  laid  her 
cheek  lovingly  to  that  of  her  sick  "  father" — she 
knew  him  by  no  other  name — and  drew  her  a/ms 
around  his  neck,  that  he  was  suffering  alone  on  her 
account.  In  her  unselfish  love,  Claire  felt  a  sweet 
compensation — while  all  he  endured  on  her  account 
had  the  effect  to  draw  her,  as  it  were,  into  his  very 
heart. 

As  quickly  as  it  could  be  done,  Mrs.  Claire  got 
through  with  the  most  pressing  of  her  morning  du- 
ties, and  then,  the  older  children  away  to  school, 
she  came  and  sat  down  by  her  husband's  bedside, 
and  took  his  hand  in  hers.  As  he  looked  into  her 
face,  pale  from  sleeplessness  and  anxiety,  tears  filled 
his  eyes. 

"0,  Edie!"  said  he,  his  voice  tremulous  with 
feeling,  "isn't  this  disheartening  ?  What  are  we  to 
do?" 

"  He  careth  for  us,"  was  the  low,  calmly  spoken 
reply ;  and,  as  Edith  lifted  a  finger  upward,  a  ray 
of  heavenly  confidence  beamed  in  her  countenance. 

"  I  know,  Edie ;  I  know,  but" 

The  sick  man  left  his  sentence  unfinished.  A 
heavy  sigh  marking  his  state  of  doubt  and  dark- 
ness. 

"  We  must  feel  as  well  as  know,  Edward,"  said 
his  wife.  "  God  is  good.  In  looking  back  through 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  173 


all  our  past  life,  does  not  the  retrospection  lead  to 
this  undoubting  conclusion  ?  I  am  sure  you  will 
say  yes.  Has  he  not,  in  every  case,  proved  better 
to  us  than  all  our  fears  ? — Why,  then,  should  we 
distrust  him  now  ?  In  the  beautiful  language  of 
Cowper,  let  us  say  in  these  dark  seasons — 

'  Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense, 

But  trust  Him  for  His  grace  ;       •     , 
Behind  a  frowning  providence 

He  hides  a  smiling  face.  .., 

His  purposes  will  ripen  fast, 

Unfolding  every  hour  ; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 

But  sweet  will  be  the  flower.' 

"  Shall  we  doubt  the  sun's  existence,  because  the 
night  has  fallen  ?  No,  dear  husband,  no  !  There 
are  bright  stars  smiling  above  us  In  token  of  his  un- 
erring return.  We  know  that  the  morning  cometh 
after  a  season  of  darkness ;  and  so,  after  our  spirits 
have  lingered  awhile  in  the  realm  of  shadows,  the 
light  will  break  in  from  above.  Has  it  not  always 
been  so,  Edward?" 

"  He  has  led  us  by  a  way  which  we  knew  not." 

The  sick  man's  eyes  were  closed  as  he  murmured 
these  words  ;  and  his  voice  was  slightly  tremulous, 
yet  expressive  of  a  returning  state  of  confidence. 

"Yet,  how  safely,"  replied  Edith.  "  When  our 
feet  were  in  slippery  places,  and  we  leaned  on  Him, 
did  he  not  support  us  firmly  ?  and  when  the  mire 
and  clay  were  deep  in  our  path,  did  He  not  keep  us 
from  sinking  therein  ?" 

"  He  is  goodness  itself,"  said  Claire,  a  calmer  ex- 
pression coming  into  his  face.  "  It  is  wrong  so  to 
let  doubt,  distrust,  and  fear  creep  in  and  get  posses- 
15* 


174  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


sion  of  the  heart ;  but,  we  are  human — weakness 
and  error  are  born  with  us.  When  the  way  in 
which  we  are  walking  is  suddenly  closed  up  before 
us.  and  we  see  the  opening  to  no  other  way,  how 
can  we  keep  the  faint  heart  from  sinking  ?" 

"  Only  as  Peter  was  saved  from  sinking.  If  we 
look  to  God,  He  will  lift  our  hearts  above  the  yield- 
ing billows.  If  we  stand  still,  hopefully  and  trust- 
ingly, the  high  mountain  before  us  will  become  as  a 
plain,  so  that  we  can  walk  on  in  a  smooth  way,  joy- 
ful and  rejoicing." 

"  And  so  this  high  mountain,  which  has  risen  up 
so  suddenly,  will  soon  be  cleft  for  us  or  levelled  to  a 
plain,  if  we  wait  patiently  and  confidingly  for  its 
removal  ?" 

"  Oh  !  I  am  sure  of  it,  Edward,"  replied  Mrs. 
Claire,  with  a  beautiful  enthusiasm.  "  We  are  His 
creatures,  and  He  loves  us  with  an  infinite  love. 
When  his  children  are  disposed  to  trust  too  much  to 
the  arm  of  flesh,  He  sometimes  shows  them  their 
weakness  in  order  that  they  may  feel  His  strength. 
Faithfully  and  unselfishly,  my  husband,  have  you 
tried  to  meet  the  suddenly  increased  demand  upon 
us:  and  this  out  of  love  for  one  of  God's  children. 
In  the  trial,  weakness  has  prevailed  over  strength. 
Suddenly  your  hands  have  fallen  to  your  side  power- 
less. God  saw  it  all ;  and  permitted  it  all ;  and,  in 
His  own  good  time,  will  supply,  from  other  sources, 
all  that  is  really  needed.  We  have  the  promise — 
our  bread  shall  be  given,  and  our  water  sure — not 
only  the  natural  food  that  sustains  outward  life,  but 
the  true  bread  of  heavenly  afiections,  and  the  waters 
of  pure  truth,  which  nourish  and  sustain  the  spirit." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  17* 


Edith  ceased  speaking.  Her  husband  did  not 
make  an  immediate  reply ;  but  lay  pondering  her 
words,  and  letting  his  thoughts  expand  their  wings 
in  the  purer  atmosphere  into  which  she  had  lifted 
him. 

After  that  they  conversed  together  hopefully  of 
the  future  ;  not  that  they  saw  the  way  more  clearly 
before  them,  but  heavenly  confidence  had  taken 
the  place  of  human  distrust. 

It  was,  perhaps,  eleven  o'clock  in  the  day — the 
doctor  had  been  there,  and  pronounced  the  condition 
of  his  patient  favourable,  but  enjoined  quiet  and  pro- 
longed rest  from  either  bodily  or  mental  exertion — 
and  the  mind  of  Claire  was  beginning  to  run  again 
in  a  slightly  troubled  channel. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  you,"  said  his  wife,  coming 
into  the  room,  after  a  brief  absence.  "  A  young 
man  just  left  it  at  the  door." 

Claire  took  the  letter,  wondering  as  he  did  so  who 
it  could  be  from.  On  breaking  the  seal,  and  unfold- 
ing it,  he  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  within  a  check 
to  his  order  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  signed 
Leonard  Jasper ;  and  still  more  surprised  to  read 
the  accompanying  note,  which  was  in  these  words : 

"  Enclosed  you  will  find  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars,  the  sum  due  you  for  Fanny  Elder's  main- 
tenance during  the  past  and  current  quarter.  When 
convenient,  I  should  be  glad  to  see  you.  Seeing 
that  the  child  has  remained  with  you  so  long,  I  don't 
know  that  it  will  be  advisable  to  make  a  change  now, 
although  I  had  other  views  in  regard  to  her.  How- 
ever, when  you  call,  we  can  settle  matters  in  regard 
to  her  definitively." 


176  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Better  to  us  than  all  our  fears,"  murmured 
Claire,  as  lie  handed  the  letter  to  his  wife,  who  read 
it  with  a  truly  thankful  heart. 

"  Our  way  is  smooth  once  more,"  she  said,  smil- 
ing through  outpressing  tears — "  the  mountain  has 
become  a  level  plain.  All  the  dark  clouds  have 
been  swept  from  our  sky,  and  the  sun  is  shining 
even  more  brightly  than  of  old." 

It  was  more  than  a  week  before  Claire  was  suf- 
ficiently recovered  to  go  out  and  attend  to  business 
as  usual.  At  the  first  opportunity,  he  called  upon 
Mr.  Jasper,  who  received  him  with  marked  kindness 
of  manner. 

"I  do  not,  now,"  said  the  merchant,  "entertain 
the  same  views  in  regard  to  my  ward  that  I  did 
some  time  ago.  Your  opposition  to  my  wishes  then, 
fretted  me  a  good  deal ;  and  I  made  up  my  mind, 
decisively,  that  so  soon  as  she  was  twelve  years  of 
age,  you  must  give  her  up.  It  was  from  this  feel- 
ing that  I  acted  when  I  refused  to  pay  your  last  or- 
der. Since  then,  I  have  reflected  a  good  deal  on 
the  subject ;  and  reflection  has  modified,  consider- 
ably, my  feelings.  I  can  understand  how  strong 
must  be  the  attachment  of  both  yourself  and  wife, 
and  how  painful  the  thought  of  separation  from  a 
long-cherished  object  of  affection." 

"  The  dread  of  separation,  Mr.  Jasper,"  replied 
Claire,  "has  haunted  us  during  the  last  two  years 
like  an  evil  spirit." 

"  It  need  haunt  you  no  more,  Edward,"  was 
the  kindly  spoken  reply.  "  If  you  still  wish  to 
retain  the  care  of  this  child,  you  are  free  to  do 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  177 


"You  have  taken  a  mountain  from  my  heart, 
Mr.  Jasper,"  was  the  young  man's  feeling  response. 

"It  is  settled,  then,  Edward,  that  she  remains 
with  you.  And  now  I  must  say  a  word  about  her 
education.  I  wish  that  to  be  thorough.  She  must 
have  good  advantages ;  better  than  the  sum  now 
paid  for  her  maintenance  will  procure." 

Claire  made  no  reply,  and  Jasper  continued — 

"  I  have  this  to  propose.  The  bulk  of  property 
left  by  her  father  is  contained  in  two  moderate-sized 
houses,  one  of  which  is  at  this  time  without  a  te- 
nant. It  is  a  very  comfortable  house  for  a  small 
family.  Just  the  thing,  I  should  say,  for  you.  If 
you  will  move  into  this  house,  you  shall  have  it  rent 
free,  as  a  set-off  to  the  increased  charge  Fanny  will 
be  to  you  in  future.  The  three  hundred  per  annum 
will  be  paid  as  usual.  How  will  that  do  ?" 

"  The  compensation,  I  think,  will  be  greater  than 
the  service,"  replied  Claire. 

"  Not  at  all.  During  the  next  five  or  six  years, 
or  until  she  gains  her  majority,  you  will  find  the 
cost  of  clothing  and  education  a  constantly  in- 
creasing sum.  I  know  more  about  these  things 
than  you  do.  And  I  am  very  sure,  since  I  under- 
stand your  relation  to  her,  that  twice  this  expendi- 
ture could  not  gain  for  her  what  she  will  have  while 
in  your  care.  As  her  guardian,  I  feel  it  my  duty 
to  provide  liberally  for  her  comfort  and  education, 
and  to  this  you,  of  course,  can  have  nothing  to 
object." 

And  Claire  did  not  object.  In  a  few  weeks  from 
that  time  he  removed  into  one  of  the  houses  men- 
tioned by  Jasper— a  larger  and  far  more  comfort- 


178  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


able  one  than  that  in  which  he  had  lived  for  several 
years.  Here,  with  a  thankful  heart,  he  gathered 
his  wife  and  children  around  him.  How  happy 
they  all  were  !  Not  selfishly  happy — if  such  con- 
tradictory terms  may  be  used — but  happy  in  the 
warmth  of  mutual  love.  A  heaven  on  earth  was 
this  little  household.  Shall  we  contrast  it  with  that 
of  Leonard  Jasper  ?  No  ! — the  opposite  picture 
would  leave  upon  the  reader's  mind  too  sad  an  im- 
pression ;  and  we  will  not  burden  this  chapter  with 
another  shadow. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DURING  the  five  or  six  following  years,  a  number 
of  events  occurred  bearing  more  or  less  seriously 
upon  some  of  the  actors  in  our  story.  With  Ed- 
ward Claire  and  his  family,  life  had  flowed  on  in  an 
even  current ;  and,  but  for  the  fact  that  his  health 
never  fairly  recovered  from  the  shock  it  received  in 
consequence  of  his  having  taxed  his  physical  system 
beyond  its  capability  of  endurance,  the  sunshine 
would  never  have  been  a  moment  from  his  thres- 
hold. 

The  important  addition  made  to  his  income 
through  the  new  arrangement  volunteered  by 
Fanny's  guardian,  gave  to  his  external  condition  a 
more  favourable  aspect.  He  was  no  longer  troubled 
about  the  ways  and  means  of  providing  for  his 
needful  expenses.  A  much  better  situation,  so  far 
as  a  higher  salary  was  concerned,  had,  during  this 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  179 


time  offered ;  but,  as  it  required  an  amount  of  con- 
finement and  labour  which  he  could  not  give,  with- 
out endangering  his  health,  he  wisely  declined  the 
offer. 

Far  less  smoothly  had  the  current  of  Leonard 
Jasper's  life  flowed  on.  Twice  during  this  period 
had  he  received  visits  from  his  old  acquaintance, 
Martin,  and  each  time  he  was  made  poorer  by  five 
thousand  dollars.  It  was  all  in  vain  that  he  strug- 
gled and  resisted.  The  man  had  no  compassion  in 
him.  He  cared  not  who  suffered  loss,  so  he  was  the 
gainer. 

There  were  other  miners  at  work  sapping  the 
foundations  of  Jasper's  fortune,  besides  this  less 
concealed  operator.  Parker,  the  young  man  who 
succeeded  to  the  place  of  Claire,  and  who  was 
afterward  raised  to  the  condition  of  partner,  with 
a  limited  interest,  was  far  from  being  satisfied  with 
his  dividend  in  the  business.  The  great  bulk  of 
Jasper's  means  were  used  in  outside  speculations ; 
and  as  the  result  of  these  became  successively 
known  to  Parker,  his  thoughts  began  to  run  in  a 
new  channel.  "  If  I  only  had  money  to  go  into 
this,"  and,  "  If  I  only  had  money  to  go  into  that," 
were  words  frequently  on  his  tongue.  He  regarded 
himself  as  exceedingly  shrewd  ;  and  confidently  be- 
lieved that,  if  he  had  capital  to  work  with,  he  could 
soon  amass  an  independent  fortune. 

"  Money  makes  money,"  was  his  favourite  motto. 

Unscrupulous  as  his  partner,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  Parker,  ere  long,  felt  himself  perfectly  author- 
ized to  use  the  credit  of  the  house  in  private 
schemes  of  profit.  To  do  ihis  safely,  it  was  neces- 


180  TRUE   RICHES  ;     OR, 


sary  to  have  a  friend  outside  of  the  firm.  Such 
a  friend  he  did  not  find  it  very  hard  to  obtain ; 
and  as  nearly  the  whole  burden  of  the  business  fell 
upon  his  shoulders,  it  was  not  at  all  difficult  to  hide 
every  thing  from  Jasper. 

Confident  as  Parker  was  in  his  great  shrewdness, 
his  speculations  outside  of  the  business  did  not  turn 
out  very  favourably.  His  first  essay  was  in  the 
purchase  of  stocks,  on  which  he  lost,  in  a  Aveek,  two 
thousand  dollars. 

Like  the  gamester  who  loses,  he  only  played 
deeper,  in  the  hope  of  recovering  his  losses ;  and 
as  it  often  happens  with  the  gamester,  in  similar 
circumstances,  the  deeper  he  played,  the  more  he 
lost. 

And  so  it  went  on.  Sometimes  the  young  man 
had  a  turn  of  good  fortune,  and  sometimes  all  the 
chances  went  against  him.  But  he  was  too  far 
committed  to  recede  without  a  discovery.  There 
was  no  standing  still ;  and  so  newer  and  bolder  ope- 
rations were  tried,  involving  larger  and  larger  sums 
of  money,  until  the  responsibilities  of  the  firm,  added 
to  the  large  cash  drafts  made  without  the  cog- 
nizance of  Jasper,  were  enormous. 

To  all  such  mad  schemes  the  end  must  come ; 
and  the  end  came  in  this  instance.  Failing  to  pro- 
cure, by  outside  operations,  sufficient  money  to  meet 
several  large  notes,  he  was  forced  to  divulge  a  part 
of  his  iniquity  to  Jasper,  in  order  to  save  the  credit 
of  the  firm.  Suspicion  of  a  deeper  fraud  being 
thereby  aroused  in  the  mind  of  his  partner,  time, 
and  a  sifting  investigation  of  the  affairs  of  the 
house,  revealed  the  astounding  fact  that  Parker  had 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  181 


abstracted  in  money,  and  given  the  notes  of  the  firm 
for  his  own  use,  to  the  enormous  amount  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars. 

A  dissolution  of  co-partnership  took  place  in  con- 
sequence. Parker,  blasted  in  reputation,  was  dragged 
before  a  court  of  justice,  in  order  to  make  him  dis- 
gorge property  alleged  to  be  in  his  possession.  But 
nothing  could  be  found ;  and  he  was  finally  dis- 
charged from  custody.  The  whole  loss  fell  upon 
Jasper.  He  had  nursed  a  serpent  in  his  bosom, 
warming  it  with  the  warmth  of  his  own  life ;  and 
the  serpent  had  stung  him.  Is  it  any  wonder  ? 

This  circumstance,  the  discovery  of  Parker's  fraud- 
ulent doings,  took  place  about  two  years  prior  to 
the  time  when  Fanny  Elder  attained  her  legal  age. 

The  first  thought  of  Jasper,  after  his  separation 
from  Parker,  which  took  place  immediately  on  dis- 
covering that- he  had  used  the  credit  of  the  firm  im- 
properly, was  to  send  for  Claire,  and  offer  him  a 
salary  of  a  thousand  dollars  a  year,  to  come  in  and 
fill  the  responsible  position  as  clerk,  from  which 
Parker  had  just  been  ejected  as  partner. 

"I  can  trust  him  fully,"  said  Jasper  to  himself; 
"and  I  don't  know  anybody  else  that  I  can  trust. 
He  is  honest ;  I  will  give  him  credit  for  that ;  too 
honest,  it  may  be,  for  his  own  good.  But,  I  don't 
know.  Who  would  not  rather  be  in  his  shoes  than 
in  Parker's?" 

For  some  time  Jasper's  mind  was  favourable  to 
making  Claire  the  offer  proposed,  and  he  was  about 
writing  him  a  note,  when  a  new  view  of  the  case 
struck  him,  dependent  on  the  young  man's  relation 
to  his  ward,  Fanny  Elder. 
16 


182  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"  Oh  no,  no,  no  !"  said  he  emphatically,  speaking 
to  himself — "  that,  I  fear  me,  will  not  do.  It  would 
give  him  too  open  an  access  to  my  books,  papers, 
and  private  accounts,  in  which  are  entries  and  me- 
moranda that  it  might  be  dangerous  for  him  to  see." 

Jasper  sighed  deeply  as  he  finished  this  sentence, 
and  then  fell  into  a  musing  state.  His  thoughts, 
while  this  lasted,  were  not  of  the  most  self-satisfying 
character.  Some  serious  doubts  as  to  his  having, 
in  the  main,  pursued  the  wisest  course  in  life,  were 
injected  into  his  mind;  and,  remarkable  as  it  may 
seem  for  one  so  absorbed  in  the  love  of  gain,  there 
were  moments  when  he  almost  envied  the  poor,  but 
honest  clerk,  who  had  an  approving  conscience,  and 
feared  no  man's  scrutiny, 

It  was  with  no  slight  reluctance  that  he  finally 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  altogether 
unsafe  to  take  Claire  into  his  employment.  And  so 
he  cast  about  for  some  one  to  supply  the  place  left 
vacant  by  Parker's  withdrawal  from  the  business. 
In  his  final  selection  he  was  not  over-fortunate,  as 
the  result  proved.  The  new  clerk  was  shrewd,  and 
capable  enough,  and  apparently  as  much  devoted  to 
his  employer's  interests  as  Jasper  could  wish.  Had 
not  his  own  interests  been  regarded  as  paramount  to 
those  of  the  merchant,  Jasper  would  have  possessed 
in  him  a  valuable  assistant.  But  the  clerk  did  not 
rise  superior  to  temptations  which  came  in  his  way. 
Jasper  continued  to  trade  on  the  close-cutting,  over- 
reaching, and  unscrupulous  system ;  and  under  such 
a  teacher  his  clerk  proved  an  apt  learner. 

"  He  cuts  right  and  left,"  said  he  to  himself,  "and 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  183 


why  may  not  I  cut  left  and  right  when  a  good  oppor- 
tunity offers?" 

Soon  he  began  to  "cut  left  and  right,"  as  he 
termed  it,  and  it  was  not  remarkable  that,  in  his 
cutting  operations,  his  employer  occasionally  suf- 
fered. The  upshot  was,  after  holding  his  situation 
a  year,  that  several  false  entries,  in  his  hand- writ- 
ing, were  discovered  in  the  books  of  Mr.  Jasper.  To 
what  extent  he  robbed  his  employer,  the  latter  never 
accurately  knew;  but  he  was  worse  off  by  at  least 
three  or  four  thousand  dollars  through  his  pecula- 
tions. 

Again  the  question  of  taking  Claire  once  more  into 
his  employment  came  up  in  the  mind  of  Jasper. 
After  viewing  it  on  every  side,  the  decision  was  ad- 
verse. He  felt  that  too  great  a  risk  was  involved. 
And  so  he  employed  one  in  whom  he  could  confide 
with  less  certainty. 

Several  years  had  now  passed  since  the  merchant 
began  to  feel  the  shock  of  adverse  winds.  All  be- 
fore was  a  summer  sea,  and  the  ship  of  his  fortune 
had  bent  her  sails  alone  to  favouring  breezes.  But 
this  was  to  be  no  longer.  His  ship  had  suffered  not 
only  by  stress  of  weather,  but  also  by  the  sacrifice 
of  a  portion  of  cargo  to  save  what  remained.  And, 
at  last,  she  was  driving  on  toward  the  breakers,  and 
her  safety  from  destruction  only  hoped  for  through 
the  activity,  skill,  and  tireless  vigilance  of  her 
helmsman. 

A  few  years  before,  Mr.  Jasper  considered  him- 
self worth  between  two  and  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars ;  now,  he  passed  sleepless  nights  in  fear  of 
impending  ruin.  He  had  trusted  in  riches ;  he  had 


184  TKUE  RICHES;  OR, 


called  them,  in  his  heart,  the  greatest  good.  At  his 
word  they  had  poured  in  upon  him  from  all  sides, 
until  he  was  half  bewildered  at  sight  of  the  glitter- 
ing treasures ;  but,  just  as  he  began  to  feel  secure 
in  his  possessions,  they  began  to  take  themselves 
wings  and  fly  away. 

And,  alas  for  him  !  he  had  laid  up  no  other  trea- 
sures. None  in  heaven ;  none  in  the  hearts  of  his 
wife  and  children ;  none  in  his  own  mind.  The  staff 
upon  which  he  had  leaned  was  now  a  splintering  reed, 
wounding  as  it  bent  under  him. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THEKE  was  one  point  of  time  to  which  Leonard 
Jasper  looked  with  no  little  anxiety,  and  that  was 
to  the  period  of  Fanny  Elder's  majority,  when  it  was 
his  purpose  to  relinquish  his  guardianship,  and  wash 
his  hands,  if  it  were  possible  to  do  so,  entirely  clean 
of  her.  Until  the  estate  left  by  her  father  was  set- 
tled up,  the  property  in  her  hands  and  receipts  in 
his,  there  was  danger  ahead.  And,  as  the  time  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  he  felt  increasing  uneasiness. 

On  the  very  day  that  Fanny  reached  her  eighteenth 
year,  Jasper  sent  a  note  to  Claire,  asking  an  inter- 
view. 

"I  wish,"  said  he,  when  the  latter  came,  "to  have 
some  conference  with  you  about  Miss  Elder.  She 
has  now,  you  are  no  doubt  aware,  attained  the  legal 
age.  Such  being  the  case,  I  wish,  as  early  as  it 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  185 


can  be  done,  to  settle  up  the  estate  of  her  father, 
and  pay  over  to  her,  or  to  any  person  she  may  se- 
lect as  her  agent,  the  property  in  my  hands.  It 
has  increased  some  in  value.  Will  you  consult  her 
on  the  subject?" 

Claire  promised  to  do  so ;  and,  at  the  same  time, 
asked  as  to  the  amount  of  Fanny's  property. 

"  The  total  value  will  not  fall  much  short  of  eight 
thousand  dollars,"  replied  Jasper.  "  There  are  two 
houses  and  lots  that  would  sell  at  any  time  for  six 
thousand  dollars.  You  live  in  one  of  these  houses, 
and  the  other  is  rented  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  Then  there  are  nearly  two  thousand  dol- 
lars in  six  per  cent,  stocks.  When  her  father  died, 
his  estate  consisted  of  these  two  houses,  and  a  piece 
of  poor  land  which  he  had  taken  as  satisfaction  for 
a  debt.  At  the  first  opportunity,  I  sold  the  land 
and  invested  the  money.  This  sum,  with  accumu- 
lations of  interest,  and  rents  received  for  several 
years,  beyond  what  was  required  for  Fanny's  main- 
tenance, has  now  increased  to  within  a  fraction  of 
two  thousand  dollars,  and  is,  as  just  said,  invested 
in  stocks.  I  think,"  added  Jasper,  "that  you 
had  better  assume  the  management  of  this  property 
yourself.  Get  from  Miss  Elder  a  power  of  attorney 
authorizing  you  to  settle  the  estate,  and  the  whole 
business  can  be  completed  in  a  very  short  time.  I 
will  make  you  out  an  accurate  statement  of  every 
thing,  so  that  you  will  be  at  no  loss  to  comprehend 
the  accounts." 

To  this  there  could,  of  course,  be  no  objection  on 
the  part  of  Claire.  He  promised  to  confer  with 

16* 


186  TRUE  RICHES;  OK, 


Fanny,  and  let  Jasper  know,  in  a  day  or  two,  the 
result. 

Now  came  a  new  trial  for  Claire  and  his  wife. 
They  had  taken  Fanny,  when  only  four  years  of 
age,  and  taken  her  so  entirely  into  their  home  and 
affections,  that  she  had  almost  from  the  first  seemed 
to  them  as  one  of  their  own  children.  In  a  brief 
time  the  earlier  memories  of  the  child  faded.  The 
past  was  absorbed  in  the  present ;  and  she  loved  as 
parents  none  other  than  those  she  called  by  the  ten- 
der names  of  "father"  and  "mother."  The  children 
with  whom  she  grew  up  she  knew  only  as  her  bro- 
thers and  sisters.  This  thorough  adoption  and  in- 
corporation of  the  child  into  their  family  was  not, 
in  any  sense,  the  work  of  design  on  the  part  of 
Claire  and  his  wife.  But  they  saw,  in  the  beginning, 
no  reason  to  check  the  natural  tendency  thereto. 
When  little  Fanny,  of  her  own  accord,  addressed 
them,  soon  after  her  virtual  adoption,  as  "father" 
and  "mother,"  they  accepted  the  child's  own  inter- 
pretation of  their  relative  positions,  and  took  her 
from  that  moment  more  entirely  into  their  hearts. 

And  so  Fanny  Elder  grew  up  to  womanhood,  in 
the  full  belief  that  she  was  the  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Claire.  The  new  trial  through  which  this  excellent 
couple  were  now  to  pass,  the  reader  can  easily  ima- 
gine. The  time  had  come  when  Fanny  must  knoAV 
the  real  truth  in  regard  to  herself — must  be  told  that 
she  had  no  natural  claim  upon  the  love  of  those 
whose  love  she  prized  above  all  things. 

It  seemed  cruel  to  take  away  the  conscious  right 
to  love  and  be  loved,  which  had  so  long  blessed  her. 
And  yet  the  truth  must  now  be  made  known,  and 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  187 


Mrs.  Claire  took  upon  herself  the  task  of  breaking 
it  as  gently  as  possible. 

A  woman  in  age  and  stature,  yet  with  all  the  gen- 
tle deference  of  a  daughter,  Fanny  moved  by  the 
side  of  Mrs.  Claire  with  a  loving  thoughtfulness, 
daily  sharing  her  household  duties.  Some  months 
before  she  had  left  school,  but  was  still,  taking  les- 
sons in  music  and  French,  and  devoting  a  portion 
of  time  to  practice  in  drawing,  for  which  she  had  a 
decided  taste. 

On  the  day  after  Mr.  Claire's  interview  with  Jas- 
per, Mrs.  Claire  said  to  Fanny,  with  a  seriousness 
of  tone  and  manner  that  brought  a  look  of  surprise 
to  her  face — 

"  Come  to  my  room  with  me,  dear.  I  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  you." 

Fanny  moved  along  by  her  side,  wondering  to 
herself  what  could  be  in  her  mother's  mind.  On 
entering  the  chamber,  Mrs.  Claire  shut  the  door,  and 
then,  as  she  sat  down,  with  an  arm  around  the  young 
girl's  waist,  she  said,  in  a  thoughtful,  earnest  voice — 

"Fanny,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  the  first  thing 
you  recollect  in  life." 

"The  first  thing,  mother?"  She  smiled  at  a  re- 
quest so  unexpected,  and  Mrs.  Claire  smiled  in  re- 
turn, though  from  a  different  cause. 

"  Yes,  dear.  I  have  a  reason  for  asking  this. 
Now,  let  your  thoughts  run  back — far  back,  and 
recall  for  me  the  very  first  thing  you  can  recollect." 

The  countenance  of  Fanny  grew  thoughtful,  then 
serious,  and  then  a  half-frightened  look  flashed 
over  it. 


188  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"Why,  mother,"  said  she,  "  what  can  you  mean  ? 
What  do  you  want  to  know?" 

"Your  first  recollection,  dear?"  returned  Mrs. 
Claire,  with  an  assuring  smile,  although  her  heart 
was  full,  and  it  required  the  most  active  self-control 
to  prevent  her  feelings  from  becoming  manifest  in 
her  voice. 

"Well,  let  me  see  !  The  first  ?  The  first  ?  I  was 
playing  on  the  floor  with  a  dear  little  baby  ?  It  was 
our  Edie,  wasn't  it?" 

"Yes — so  far  your  memory  is  correct.  I  remem- 
ber the  time  to  which  you  refer  as  perfectly  as  if 
but  a  week  had  passed.  Now,  dear,  try  if  you  can 
recall  any  thing  beyond  that." 

"Beyond  that,  mother?  Oh,  why  do  you  ask? 
You  make  me  feel  so  strangely.  Can  it  be  that 
some  things  I  have  thought  to  be  only  the  memory 
of  dreams,  are  indeed  realities?" 

"  What  are  those  things,  my  child  ?" 

"  I  have  a  dim  remembrance  of  a  pale,  but  beau- 
tiful woman  who  often  kissed  and  caressed  me — of 
being  in  a  sick-room — of  a  strange  confusion  in  the 
house — of  riding  in  a  carriage  with  father  to  a  fune- 
ral. Mother !  is  there  any  thing  in  this ;  if  so,  what 
does  it  mean  ?" 

"  That  woman,  Fanny,"  said  Mrs.  Claire,  speak- 
ing with  forced  composure,  "  was  your  mother." 

The  face  of  the  young  girl  grew  instantly  pale ; 
her  lips  parted ;  and  she  gasped  for  breath.  Then 
falling  forward  on  the  bosom  of  Mrs.  Claire,  she 
sobbed — 

"  Oh,  mother  !  mother !  How  can  you  say  this  ? 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  189 


It  cannot,  it  cannot  be.  You  are  my  own,  my  only 
mother." 

"You  did  not  receive  your  life  through  me,  Fan- 
ny," replied  Mrs.  Claire,  so  soon  as  she  could  com- 
mand her  voice,  for  she  too  was  overcome  by  feel- 
ing— "but  in  all  else  I  am  your  mother;  and  I  love 
you  equally  with  my  other  children.  If  there  has 
ever  been  a  difference,  it  has  all  been  in  your  favour." 

"  Why,  why  did  you  destroy  the  illusion  under  which 
I  have  so  long  rested?"  said  Fanny,  when  both  were 
more  composed.  "  Why  tell  me  a  truth  from  which 
no  good  can  flow?  Why  break  in  upon  my  happy 
ignorance  with  such  a  chilling  revelation  ?  Oh,  mo- 
ther, mother  !  Forgive  me,  if  I  say  you  have  been 
cruel." 

"  Not  so,  my  child.  Believe  me,  that  nothing  but 
duty  would  have  ever  driven  me  to  this  avowal.  You 
are  now  at  woman's  legal  age.  You  have  a  guar- 
dian, in  whose  hands  your  father,  at  his  death,  left, 
for  your  benefit,  some  property ;  and  this  person  now 
desires  to  settle  the  estate,  and  transfer  to  you  what 
remains." 

Bewildered,  like  one  awakening  from  a  dream, 
Fanny  listened  to  this  strange  announcement.  And 
it  was  some  time  before  she  really  comprehended  her 
true  position. 

"  Nofe^our  child — a  guardian — property ! — What 
does  it  all  mean?  Am  I  really  awake,  mother?" 

"  Yes,  dear,  you  are  awake.  It  is  no  dream,  be- 
lieve me,"  was  the  tender  reply  of  Mrs.  Claire.  "  But, 
remember,  that  all  this  does  not  diminish  our  love 
for  you — does  not  remove  you  in  the  least  from  our 


190  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


affections.  You  are  still  our  child,  bound  to  us  by  a 
thousand  intertwining  chords." 

But  little  more  passed  between  them  at  this  in- 
terview. Fanny  asked  for  no  more  particulars,  and 
Mrs.  Claire  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  give  any 
further  information.  Fanny  soon  retired  to  her  own 
chamber,  there  to  commune  ,with  her  thoughts,  and 
to  seek,  in  tears,  relief  to  her  oppressed  feelings. 

The  meeting  of  Claire  with  Fanny,  on  his  return 
home,  was  affecting.  She  met  him  with  a  quivering 
lip  and  moistened  eyes,  and,  as  she  laid  her  cheek 
against  his  breast,  murmured  in  a  sad,  yet  deeply 
affectionate  voice — 

"My  father!" 

"  My  own  dear  child  !"  quickly  replied  Claire,  with 
emotion. 

And  then  both  stood  for  some  time  silent.  Lead- 
ing her  to  a  seat,  Claire  said  tenderly — 

"  I  have  always  loved  you  truly,  and  now  you 
are  dearer  to  me  than  ever." 

"My  more  than  father,"  was  her  simple  response. 

"  My  own  dear  child !"  said  Mr.  Claire,  kissing 
her  fondly.  "  We  have  ever  blessed  the  day  on 
which  you  came  to  us  from  God." 

Words  would  only  have  mocked  their  feelings, 
and  so  but  few  words  passed  between  them,  yet  how 
full  of  thoughts  crowding  upon  thoughts  were  their 
minds — how  over-excited  their  hearts  with  new  emo- 
tions of  love. 

After  the  younger  members  of  the  family  had  re- 
tired on  that  evening,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claire  and 
Fanny  were  alone  together.  All  three  were  in  a 
calmer  state  of  mind.  Fanny  listened  with  deep  at- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT  WINGS.  191 


tention,  her  hand  shading  her  countenance  so  as  to 
conceal  its  varying  expression,  to  a  brief  history  of 
her  parentage.  Of  things  subsequent  to  the  time  of 
her  entrance  into  her  present  home,  but  little  was 
said.  There  was  an  instinctive  delicacy  on  the  part 
of  Claire  and  his  wife,  now  that  Fanny  was  about 
coming  into  the  possession  of  property,  which  kept 
back  all  allusion  to  the  sacrifices  they  had  made,  and 
the  pain  they  had  suffered  on  her  account,  in  their 
contentions  with  her  guardian.  In  fact,  this  matter 
of  property  produced  with  them  a  feeling  of  embar- 
rassment. They  had  no  mercenary  thoughts  in  re- 
gard to  it — had  no  wish  to  profit  by  their  intimate 
and  peculiar  relation.  And  yet,  restricted  in  their 
own  income,  and  with  a  family  growing  daily  more 
expensive,  they  understood  but  too  well  the  embar- 
rassment which  would  follow,  if  any  very  important 
change  were  made  in  their  present  external  relations. 
To  explain  every  thing  to  Fanny,  would,  they  knew, 
lead  to  an  instant  tender  of  all  she  possessed.  But 
this  they  could  not  do  ;  nor  had  they  a  single  selfish 
desire  in  regard  to  her  property.  If  things  could 
remain  as  they  were,  without  injustice  to  Fanny, 
they  would  be  contented ;  but  they  were  not  alto- 
gether satisfied  as  to  the  amount  they  were  receiv- 
ing for  her  maintenance.  It  struck  them  as  being 
too  much ;  and  they  had  more  than  once  conferred 
together  in  regard  to  its  reduction. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  make  Fanny 
comprehend  her  relation  to  Mr.  Jasper,  her  guar- 
dian, and  his  wish  to  settle  up  the  estate  of  her 
father,  arid  transfer  to  her,  or  her  representative, 
the  property  that  remained  in  his  hands. 


192  TRUE    RICHES  ;    OR, 


"  I  will  leave  all  with  you,  father,"  was  the  very 
natural  response  made  to  this.  "  All  I  have  is  yours. 
Do  just  as  you  think  best." 

On  the  next  day  a  power  of  attorney  in  the 
name  of  Edward  Claire  was  executed  ;  and,  as  Jas: 
per  was  anxious  to  get  the  business  settled,  every 
facility  thereto  was  offered.  Claire  examined  the 
will  of  Mr.  Elder,  in  which  certain  property  was  men- 
tioned, and  saw  that  it  agreed  with  the  guardian's 
statement.  All  the  accounts  were  scrutinized  ;  and 
all  the  vouchers  for  expenditure  compared  with  the 
various  entries.  Every  thing  appeared  correct,  and 
Claire  expressed  himself  entirely  satisfied.  All  le- 
gal forms  were  then  complied  with;  and,  in  due 
time,  the  necessary  documents  were  prepared  ready 
for  the  signature  of  Claire,  by  which  Jasper  would 
be  freed  from  the  nervous  anxiety  he  had  for  years 
felt  whenever  his  thoughts  went  forward  to  this  par- 
ticular point  of  time. 

On  the  evening  preceding  the  day  when  a  con- 
summation so  long  and  earnestly  looked  for  was  to 
take  place,  Jasper,  with  his  mind  too  much  absorbed 
in  business  troubles  to  mingle  with  his  family,  sat 
alone  in  his  library,  deeply  absorbed  in  plans  and 
calculations.  His  confidence  in  fortune  and  his  own 
prudence  had  been  growing  weaker,  daily ;  and 
now  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  a  great  darkness  were 
gathering  all  around.  He  had  fully  trusted  in  him- 
self ;  alas  !  how  weak  now  seemed  to  him  his  hu- 
man arm  ;  how  dim  the  vision  with  which  he  would 
penetrate  the  future.  He  was  mocked  of  his  own 
overweening  and  proud  confidence. 

This  was  his  state  of  mind  when  a  servant  came 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  193 


to  the  library-door,  and  announced  a  gentleman  who 
wished  to  see  him. 

"  What  is  his  name  ?"  asked  Jasper. 

"He  said  it  was  no  difference.  He  was  a 
friend." 

"  It  might  make  a  great  difference,"  Jasper  mut- 
tered in  an  undertone.  "Show  him  up,"  he  said 
aloud. 

The  servant  retired,  and  Jasper  waited  for  his 
visitor  to  appear.  He  was  not  long  in  suspense. 
The  door  soon  reopened,  and  a  man,  poorly  clad, 
and  with  a  face  bearing  strong  marks  of  intempe- 
rance and  evil  passions,  came  in. 

"  You  do  not  know  me,"  said  he,  observing  that 
the  merchant,  who  had  risen  to  his  feet,  did  not 
recognise  him. 

Jasper  shook  his  head. 

"  Look  closer."  There  was  an  air  of  familiarity 
and  rude  insolence  about  the  man. 

"  Martin !"  exclaimed  Jasper,  stepping  back  a 
few  paces.  "  Is  it  possible  !" 

"  Quite  possible,  friend  Jasper,"  returned  the 
man,  helping  himself  to  a  chair,  and  sinking  into  it 
with  the  air  of  one  who  felt  himself  at  home. 

Surprise  and  perplexity  kept  the  merchant 
dumb  for  some  moments.  He  would  quite  as  lief 
have  been  confronted  with  a  robber,  pistol  in 
hand. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  see  you,  Martin,"  said  he,  at 
length,  speaking  in  a  severe  tone  of  voice.  "  Why 
have  you  intruded  on  me  again?  Are  you  not 
satisfied  ?  Have  you  no  mercy  ?" 

"None,  Leonard  Jasper,  none,"  replied  the  man 


194  TRUE    KICHES;    OR, 


scowling.     "  I  never  knew  the  meaning  of  the  word 
— no  more  than  yourself." 

"You  are  nothing  better  than  a  robber,"  said  the 
merchant,  bitterly. 

"  I  only  share  with  bolder  robbers  their  richer 
plunder,"  retorted  the  man. 

"I  will  not  bear  this,  Martin.  Leave  my  pre- 
sence." 

"  I  will  relieve  you  certainly,"  said  the  visitor, 
rising,  "  when  you  have  done  for  me  what  I  wish. 
I  arrived  here,  to-day,  penniless  ;  and  have  called 
for  a  trifling  loan  to  help  me  on  my  way  North." 

"  Loan  !  what  mockery  !  I  will  yield  no  further 
to  your  outrageous  demands.  I  was  a  fool  ever  to 
have  feared  the  little  power  you  possess.  Go,  sir  ! 
I  do  not  fear  you." 

"  I  want  your  check  for  two  hundred  dollars — no 
more,"  said  Martin,  in  a  modified  tone — "I  will  not 
be  hard  on  you.  Necessity  drives  me  to  this  resort ; 
but  I  hope  never  to  trouble  you  again." 

"  Not  a  dollar,"  replied  Jasper,  firmly.  "  And 
now,  my  friend,  seek  some  other  mode  of  sustaining 
yourself  in  vice  and  idleness.  You  have  received 
from  me  your  last  contribution.  In  settling  the  es- 
tate of  Reuben  Elder  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
all  parties,  I  have  disarmed  you.  You  have  no  fur- 
ther power  to  hurt." 

"  You  may  find  yourself  mistaken  in  regard  to 
my  power,"  replied  Martin  as  he  made  a  move- 
ment toward  the  door,  and  threw  back  upon  the 
merchant  a  side-glance  of  the  keenest  malignity. 
"  Many  a  foot  has  been  stung  by  the  reptile  it 
spurned." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  195 


The  word  "  stay"  came  not  to  Jasper's  lips.  He 
was  fully  in  earnest.  Martin  paused,  with  his  hand 
on  the  door,  and  said — 

"  One  hundred  dollars  will  do." 

"Not  a  copper,  if  it  were  to  save  you  from 
the' nether  regions!"  cried  Jasper,  his  anger  and 
indignation  o'erleaping  the  boundaries  of  self- 
control. 

He  was  alone  in  the  next  moment.  As  his  ex- 
citement cooled  down,  he  felt  by  no  means  indif- 
ferent to  the  consequences  which  might  follow  this 
rupture  with  Martin.  More  than  one  thought  pre- 
sented itself,  which,  if  it  could  have  been  weighed 
calmly  a  few  minutes  before,  would  have  caused  a 
slightly  modified  treatment  of  his  unwelcome  visitor. 

But  having  taken  his  position,  Jasper  determined 
to  adhere  to  it,  and  brave  all  consequences. 

While  Claire  was  yet  seated  at  the  breakfast- 
table  on  the  next  morning,  word  was  brought  that 
a  gentleman  was  in  the  parlour  and  wished  to  see 
him. 

On  entering  the  parlour,  he  found  there  a  man  of 
exceedingly  ill  appearance,  both  as  to  countenance 
and  apparel. 

"  My  name  is  Martin,"  said  this  person — "  though 
you  do  not,  I  presume,  know  me." 

Claire  answered  that  he  was  to  him  an  entire 
stranger. 

"  I  have,"  said  the  man,  speaking  in  a  low, 
confidential  tone  of  voice,  "  became  cognisant  of 
certain  facts,  which  it  much  concerns  you,  or  at 
least  your  adopted  daughter,  Fanny  Elder,  to 
know." 


196  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


For  a  few  moments,  Claire  was  overcome  with 
surprise. 

"  Concerns  Fanny  Elder  to  know  !  What  do  you 
mean,  sir?" 

"  Precisely  what  I  say.  There  has  been  a  great 
fraud  committed ;  and  I  know  all  the  ins  and  the 
outs  of  it !" 

"By  whom?"  asked  Claire. 

"  Ah  1"  replied  the  visitor,  "  that  we  will  come  to 
after  a  while." 

"Upon  whom,  then?" 

"  Upon  the  estate  of  Ruben  Elder,  the  father 
of  your  adopted  daughter." 

Not  liking  either  the  man's  appearance  or  man- 
ner, Claire  said,  after  a  moment's  reflection — 

"Why  have  you  called  to  see  me?" 

"  To  give  the  information  I  have  indicated — pro- 
vided, of  course,  that  you  desire  to  have  it." 

"  On  what  terms  do  you  propose  to  act  in  this 
matter  ?  Let  us  understand  each  other  in  the  be- 
ginning." 

"  I  can  put  you  in  the  way  of  recovering  for  Miss 
Elder  from  twenty  to  a  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
out  of  which  she  has  been  cheated.  But,  before  I 
give  you  any  information  on  the  subject,  I  shall  re- 
quire an  honourable  pledge  on  your  part,  as  well  as 
written  agreement,  to  pay  me  twenty  per  cent,  of 
the  whole  amount  recovered.  Will  you  give  it  ?" 

Claire  bent  his  head  in  thought  for  some  moments. 
When  he  looked  up  he  said — 

"  No,  sir.  I  can  make  no  compact  with  you  of 
this  kind." 

"Very  well,  sir.     That  closes  the  matter,"  re- 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  197 


plied  Martin,  rising.  "  If  you  will  not  buy  a  for- 
tune at  so  small  a  cost,  you  deserve  to  be  poor. 
How  far  your  conscience  is  clear  in  respect  to  Miss 
Elder,  is  another  matter.  But,  perhaps  you  don't 
credit  what  I  say.  Let  me  give  you  a  single  hint. 
Fanny  Elder  was  missing  once  for  three  days.  I 
had  a  hand  in  that  affair.  Do  you  think  she  was 
carried  off,  and  taken  to  another  city  for  nothing  ? 
If  so,  you  are  wonderfully  mistaken.  But  good 
morning,  sir.  If  you  should,  on  reflection,  change 
your  mind,  you  can  hear  of  me  by  calling  at  the 
oflice  of  Grind,  the  lawyer." 

"  Good  morning,"  returned  Claire,  showing  not 
the  least  disposition  to  retain  the  man,  toward  whom 
he  experienced  a  strong  feeling  of  dislike  and  sense 
of  repulsion. 

Martin  lingered  a  few  moments,  and  then  went 
out,  leaving  Claire  bewildered  by  a  rush  of  new 
thoughts. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  meeting  of  Claire  and  Jasper,  for  the  final 
settlement  of  Mr.  Elder's  estate,  was  to  take  place 
at  the  oflice  of  Grind,  at  ten  o'clock.  Before  keep- 
ing his  appointment,  the  former  turned  over  in  his 
mind,  with  careful  deliberation,  the  circumstances 
which  had  just  occurred  ;  and  the  more  he  thought 
of  it,  the  better  satisfied  was  he  that  a  fraud  had 
been  committed.  The  author  of  that  fraud  could 


198  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


be  no  one  else  but  the  guardian  of  Fanny ;  of  whose 
honesty  Claire  had,  with  good  reason,  no  very  high 
opinion.  His  conclusion  was,  not  to  accept,  at  pre- 
sent, a  settlement  of  the  •estate. 

With  an  uneasy  foreboding  of  evil — he  was,  in 
fact,  rarely  now  without  that  feeling — Leonard  Jas- 
per took  his  way  to  the  office  of  Grind.  Notwith- 
standing he  had  defied  Martin,  he  yet  feared  him. 
But  he  was  so  near  to  the  point  of  comparative  safety, 
that  he  hoped  soon  to  be  past  all  real  danger  from 
this  quarter.  Too  little  time  had  elapsed,  since  he 
parted  with  him,  for  Martin  to  see  Claire,  even  if  a 
thought  of  assailing  him  in  that  quarter  had  crossed 
his  mind.  So  Jasper  believed.  How  sadly  taken 
by  surprise  was  he,  therefore,  when,  on  meeting 
Claire,  the  latter  said — 

"  Since  I  saw  you  yesterday,  a  matter  has  corne 
to  my  knowledge  which  I  feel  bound  to  investigate, 
before  proceeding  any  farther  in  this  business." 

As  if  struck  by  a  heavy  blow,  Jasper  moved  a  pace 
or  two  backward,  while  an  instant  pallor  overspread 
his  face.  Quickly  recovering  himself,  he  said — 

"Explain  yourself,  Edward.  What  matter  has 
come  to  your  knowledge?" 

"  On  that  subject  I  would  prefer  speaking  with 
you  alone,"  replied  Claire. 

"  This  room  is  at  your  service,"  said  Grind,  rising 
and  retiring  toward  his  front  office.  "  You  will  be 
altogether  free  from  intrusion."  And  he  passed  out, 
closing  the  door  behind  him. 

"Edward,"  said  Jasper,  in  as  firm  a  voice  as  he 
could  assume,  "  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  You 
look  at  me  with  an  expression  of  countenance,  and 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  199 


have  spoken  in  a  tone  that  implies  a  helief  on  your 
part  that  I  have  not  acted  fairly  in  the  matter  of 
this  guardianship." 

"  Such,  at  least,  is  my  impression,"  replied  Claire, 
firmly. 

"  Have  you  come  here  to  insult  me,  sir  ?"  Jas- 
per drew  himself  up  with  an  offended  manner. 

"  No,  Mr.  Jasper.  I  have  no  such  intention. 
All  I  purpose  is,  to  ascertain  how  far  certain  in- 
formation received  hy  me  this  morning  is  correct." 

"  What  information  ?" 

The  merchant  became  a  good  deal  agitated. 

"A  man  named  Martin  called  on  me" 

"  Martin !  oh,  the  wretch !  My  curses  rest  on 
him,  for  a  base  betrayer!" 

Claire  was  startled  at  the  effect  produced  by  his 
mention  of  the  name  of  Martin.  Jasper,  on  hear- 
ing this  name,  believed  that  every  thing  had  been 
divulged,  and,  in  the  bitterness  and  despair  of  this 
conviction,  threw  off  all  concealment.  His  counte- 
nance, which  had  partly  gained  its  usual  colour,  be- 
came pallid  again,  while  large  beads  of  sweat  oozed 
from  the  relaxed  pores  and  stood  upon  his  forehead. 
Moving  back  a  step  or  two,  he  sank  into  a  chair, 
and  averting  his  face,  sat  struggling  with  himself  to 
regain  the  mastery  over  his  feelings. 

How  changed,  in  a  few  brief  years,  had  become 
the  relation  of  these  two  men.  The  poor,  humble, 
despised,  but  honest  clerk,  now  stood  erect,  while 
the  merchant  cowered  before  him  in  humiliation 
and  fear. 

"Edward,"  said  Jasper,  as  soon  as  he  had  suffi- 
cient composure  of  mind  to  think  somewhat  clearly 


200  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


and  speak  calmly,  "  What  do  you  purpose  doing  in 
this  matter  ?" 

"What  is  right,  Mr.  Jasper,"  answered  Claire, 
firmly.  "  That  is  my  duty." 

"  Ruin  !  ruin  !  ruin  !"  exclaimed  Jasper,  in  a  low 
voice,  again  losing  command  of  himself,  and  wring- 
ing his  hands  hopelessly.  "  Oh !  that  it  should  have 
come  to  this!" 

Astonished  as  Claire  was  by  what  he  now  heard 
and  saw,  he  felt  the  necessity  of  preserving  the 
most  entire  self-possession.  When  Jasper  again  put 
the  question — 

"What  do  you  purpose  doing,  Edward?"  he  re- 
plied. 

"  I  shall  be  better  able  to  answer  that  question 
when  I  have  all  the  particulars  upon  which  to  make 
up  a  decision.  At  present,  I  only  know  that  a 
large  amount  of  property  has  been  withheld  from 
Miss  Elder ;  and  that  I  have  only  to  bring  this  man 
Martin  into  a  court  of  justice  to  have  every  thing 
made  clear." 

"And  this  you  purpose  doing?" 

"  I  shall  do  so,  undoubtedly;  unless  the  object  to 
be  gained  by  such  a  course  is  secured  in  another 
way." 

"  Quite  as  much,  believe  me,  Edward,  can  be 
gained  through  private  arrangement  as  by  legal  in- 
vestigation," returned  Jasper,  his  manner  greatly 
subdued.  "You  and  I  can  settle  every  thing,  I 
am  sure,  between  ourselves ;  and,  as  far  as  my 
ability  will  carry  me,  it  shall  be  to  your  entire  satis- 
faction. I  have  greatly  mistaken  your  character, 
or  you  will  take  no  pleasure  in  destroying  me." 


WEALTH   WITHOUT- WINGS.  201 


"  Pleasure  in  destroying  you  ?"  Claire  was  still 
further  affected  with  surprise.  "  In  no  man's  de- 
struction could  I  take  pleasure." 

"  I  believe  you  Edward.     And  now  let  me  give 

?3U  a  history  of  this  matter  from  the  beginning, 
ou  will  know  better  what  course  to  pursue  when 
you  comprehend  it  fully." 

And  then,  to  the  astonished  ears  of  Claire,  Jas- 
per related  how,  through  the  man  Martin,  he  be- 
came possessed  of  the  fact  that  the  supposed  almost 
valueless  piece  of  land  in  Pennsylvania  which  Mr. 
Elder  had  taken  to  secure  a  debt  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  contained  a  rich  coal  deposite — and  how, 
as  executor  to  his  estate,  and  the  guardian  of  his 
child,  he  had  by  presenting  the  child  in  person  be- 
fore commissioners  appointed  by  the  court,  obtained 
an  order  for  the  sale  of  the  land,  with  the  declared 
purpose  of  investing  the  proceeds  in  some  produc- 
tive property.  It  was  for  this  that  he  had  been  so 
anxious  to  get  Fanny,  and  for  this  that  he  carried 
her  off  forcibly,  although  his  agency  in  the  matter 
did  not  appear.  He  then  related  how,  in  the  sale, 
he  became  the  real  purchaser ;  and  how,  afterward, 
the  tract,  as  coal  land,  was  sold  to  a  company  for 
nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

"But  Edward,"  said  Jasper,  as  he  concluded  his 
humiliating  narrative,  "  I  am  worse  off  to-day  than 
if  I  had  never  made  this  transaction.  It  gave  me 
a  large  amount  of  capital  for  trade  and  speculation, 
but  it  also  involved  me  in  connections,  arid  led  me 
into  schemes  for  money-making,  that  have  wellnigh 
proved  my  ruin.  In  all  truth,  I  am  not,  this  day, 


202  TRUE    RICHES  ;   OR, 


•worth  one-half  of  what  I  received  for  that  pro- 
perty." 

Jasper  ceased  speaking ;  but  astonishment  kept 
Claire  silent. 

"And  now,  Edward,"  resumed  the  former,  "I 
am  ready  to  make  restitution  as  far  as  in  niy  power 
lies.  You  can  drag  me  into  court,  and  thus  blast 
my  reputation ;  or,  you  can  obtain  for  Miss  Elder 
as  much,  or  even  more,  than  you  would  probably 
get  by  law — for,  if  driven  into  the  courts,  I  will 
contend  to  the  last  moment — through  an  amicable 
arrangement.  Which  course  are  you  disposed  to 
take  ?" 

"  I  have  no  desire  to  harm  you,  Mr.  Jasper — none 
in  the  world.  If  the  terms  of  settlement  which  you 
may  offer  are  such  as,  under  all  the  circumstances, 
I  feel  justified  in  accepting,  I  will  meet  your  wishes. 
But  you  must  bear  in  mind  that,  in  this  matter,  I 
am  not  acting  for  myself." 

"  I  know — but  your  judgment  of  the  case  must 
determine." 

"  True — and  in  that  judgment  I  will  endeavour 
to  hold  an  equal  balance." 

The  two  men  now  retired  from  the  lawyer's  office  ; 
and,  ere  parting,  arranged  a  meeting  for  that  even- 
ing at  the  store  of  Jasper,  where  they  could  be  en- 
tirely alone.  For  two  or  three  successive  evenings 
these  conferences  were  continued,  until  Claire  was 
entirely  satisfied  that  the  merchant's  final  offer  to 
transfer  to  the  possession  of  Fanny  Elder  four 
houses,  valued  at  five  thousand  dollars  each,  in  full 
settlement  of  her  father's  estate,  was  the  very  best 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  203 


he  could  do ;  and  far  more  than  he  would  probably 
obtain  if  an  appeal  were  made  to  the  law. 

As  quickly  as  this  transfer  could  be  made,  it  was 
done.  Not  until  the  long-desired  documents,  vouch- 
ing for  the  equitable  settlement  of  the  estate,  were 
in  Jasper's  hands,  did  he  breathe  freely.  Oh ! 
through  what  an  ordeal  he  had  passed.  How  his 
own  pride,  self-consequence,  and  self-sufficiency  had 
been  crushed  out  of  him !  And  not  only  in  spirit 
was  he  humbled  and  broken.  In  his  anxiety  to  set- 
tle up  the  estate  of  Mr.  Elder,  and  thus  get  the 
sword  that  seemed  suspended  over  his  head  by  a 
single  hair,  removed,  he  had  overstepped  his  abili- 
ty. The  houses  referred  to  were  burdened  with  a 
mortgage  of  nearly  ten  thousand  dallars ;  this  had, 
of  course,  to  be  released ;  and,  in  procuring  the 
money  therefor,  he  strained  to  the  utmost  his  credit, 
thus  cutting  off  important  facilities  needed  in  his 
large,  and  now  seriously  embarrassed  business. 

It  is  the  last  pound  that  breaks  the  camel's  back. 
This  abstraction  of  money  and  property  took  away 
from  Jasper  just  what  he  needed  to  carry  him  safe- 
ly through  a  period  of  heavy  payments,  at  a  time 
when  there  was  some  derangement  in  financial  cir- 
cles. In  less  than  a  month  from  the  time  he  settled 
the  estate  of  Reuben  Elder,  the  news  of  his  failure 
startled  the  business  community.  He  went  down 
with  a  heavy  plunge,  and  never  again  rose  to  the 
surface.  His  ruin  was  complete.  He  had  trusted 
in  riches.  Gold  was  his  god;  and  the  idol  had 
mocked  him. 


204  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

BEYOND  what  has  already  been  written,  there  is 
not  much,  in  the  histories  of  those  whom  we  have 
introduced,  to  be  told,  except  briefly,  worthy  the 
reader's  interested  attention. 

Martin,  the  old  accomplice  of  Jasper,  finding  his 
power  over  that  individual  gone,  and  failing  in  the 
card  he  played  against  Claire's  nice  sense  of  honour 
and  integrity  of  purpose,  now  turned,  like  an  ill-na- 
tured, hungry  cur,  and  showed  his  teeth  to  the  man 
through  whose  advice  he  had  so  long  been  able  to 
extort  money  from  Jasper.  He  felt  the  less  com- 
punction in  so  doing,  from  the  fact  that  Grind,  an- 
fry  with  Mm  for  having  been  the  agent  of  Jasper's 
nal  destruction,  which  involved  him  in  a  severe  loss, 
had  expressed  himself  in  no  measured  terms — had, 
in  fact,  lashed  him  with  most  bitter  and  opprobrious 
words. 

Several  times,  during  the  progress  of  events  briefly 
stated  in  the  concluding  portions  of  the  last  chapter, 
Martin  had,  in  his  frequent  visits  to  the  lawyer, 
hinted,  more  or  less  remotely,  at  his  great  need  of 
money.  But  to  these  intimations,  Grind  never  gave 
the  slightest  response.  At  last  the  man  said 
boldly— 

"  Mr.  Grind,  you  must  help  me  to  a  little  mo- 
ney." This  was  directly  after  the  failure  of  Jas- 
per. 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  205 


"  I  cannot  do  it,"  was  the  unequivocal  reply. 
"You  have,  by  your  miserable  vindictiveness,  ruined 
Jasper,  after  having  subsisted  on  him  for  years — 
a  base  return  for  all  you  owe  him — and,  in  doing  so, 
half  destroyed  me.  You  have  killed  the  goose  that 
laid  the  golden  egg,  and  there  is  no  one  but  yourself 
to  thank  for  this  folly." 

"You  must  help  me,  Mr.  Grind,"  said  Martin, 
his  brows  knitting,  and  the  muscles  of  his  lips  grow- 
ing rigid.  "  You  had  a  hand  in  that  business  as  well 
as  Jasper ;  you  took  a  big  slice,  if  he  did  keep  the 
major  part  of  the  loaf;  and  so  I  have  a  right  to  ask 
some  slight  return  for  important  service  rendered." 

"  What !  This  to  me  !"  exclaimed  Grind,  roused 
to  instant  excitement. 

"This  to  you,"  was  the  cool,  deliberate  answer. 

"You  have  mistaken  your  man,"  returned  the 
lawyer,  now  beginning  to  comprehend  Martin  more 
thoroughly.  "I  understand  my  whole  relation  to 
this  affair  too  well  to  be  moved  by  any  attempt  at 
extortion  which  you  can  make.  But  I  can  tell  you 
a  little  secret,  which  it  may  be  interesting  for  you 
to  know." 

"What  is  it  ?"  growled  the  man. 

"  Why,  that  I  hold  the  power  to  give  you  a  term 
in  the  State's  prison,  whenever  I  may  happen  to  feel 
inclined  that  way." 

"  Indeed  I"  Martin  spoke  with  a  cold,  defiant 
sneer. 

"  I  am  uttering  no  vague  threat.  From  the  be- 
ginning, I  have  kept  this  trap  over  you,  ready  to 
spring,  if  need  be,  at  a  moment's  warning." 

"  I  suppose  you  thought  me  a  poor  fool,  did  you 

18 


206  TKUE  RICHES;  OB, 


not  ?"  said  Martin  as  coldly  and  contemptuously  as 
before.  "  But  you  were  mistaken.  I  have  not 
been  altogether  willing  to  trust  myself  in  your 
hands,  without  good  advice  from  a  limb  of  the  law 
quite  as  shrewd  as  yourself." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  exclaimed  Grind,  some- 
what startled  by  so  unexpected  a  declaration. 

"Plainly,"  was  answered,  "  while  I  took  your  ad- 
vice as  to  the  surest  way  to  act  upon  Jasper,  I  con- 
sulted another  as  to  the  means  of  protecting  myself 
from  you,  if  matters  ever  came  to  a  pinch." 

"Oh!  Preposterous!"  Grind  forced  a  laugh. 
"  That's  only  an  afterthought." 

"Is  it.  Hark!"  Martin  bent  close  to  his  ear, 
and  uttered  a  few  words  in  an  undertone.  Grind 
started  as  if  stung  by  a  serpent. 

"Wretch!" 

"  It  is  useless  to  call  ill  names,  my  friend.  I  have 
you  in  my  power ;  and  I  mean  to  keep  you  there. 
But  I  shall  not  be  very  hard  on  you.  So,  don't  look 
so  awfully  cut  down." 

For  once  the  scheming,  unscrupulous  lawyer  found 
himself  outwitted.  His  tool  had  proved  too  sharp 
for  him.  Without  a  doubt  he  was  in  his  power  to  an 
extent  by  no  means  agreeable  to  contemplate.  Grind 
now  saw  that  conciliation  was  far  better  than  anta- 
gonism. 

When  Martin  retired  from  the  lawyer's  office,  he 
had  in  his  pocket  a  check  for  two  hundred  dollars, 
while  behind  him  was  left  his  solemn  pledge  to  leave 
the  city  for  New  Orleans  the  next  day.  The  pledge, 
when  given,  he  did  not  intend  to  keep ;  and  it  was 
not  kept,  as  Grind  soon  afterward  learned,  to  his 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  207 


sorrow.  A  drunkard  and  a  gambler,  it  did  not  take 
Martin  long  to  see  once  more  the  bottom  of  his 
purse.  Not  until  this  occurred  did  he  trouble  the 
lawyer  again.  Then  he  startled  him  with  a  second 
visit,  and,  after  a  few  sharp  words,  came  off  with 
another  check,  though  for  a  less  amount. 

And  for  years,  leech-like,  Martin,  sinking  lower 
and  lower  all  the  time,  continued  his  adhesion  to  the 
lawyer,  abstracting  continually,  but  in  gradually 
diminishing  sums,  the  money  needed  for  natural  life 
and  sensual  indulgence,  until  often  his  demands  went 
not  above  a  dollar.  Grind,  reluctantly  as  he  yielded 
to  these  demands,  believed  it  wiser  to  pay  them  than 
to  meet  the  exposure  Martin  had  it  in  his  power  to 
make.  And  so  it  went  on,  until,  one  day,  to  his  in- 
expressible relief,  Grind  read  in  the  morning  papers 
an  account  of  the  sudden  and  violent  death  of  his 
enemy.  His  sleep  was  sounder  on  the  night  that 
followed  than  it  had  been  for  a  long,  long  time. 

Of  Edward  Claire,  and  his  happy  family — not 
happy  merely  from  an  improved  external  condition, 
for  the  foundation  of  their  happiness  was  laid  in  a 
deeper  ground — we  have  not  much  to  relate. 

When  Claire  brought  to  Fanny  the  title-deeds  of 
the  property  which  he  had  recovered  from  Jasper, 
she  pushed  them  back  upon  him,  saying,  as  she 
did  so — 

"Keep  them,  father — keep  them.     All  is  yours." 

"No,  my  dear  child,"  replied  Claire,  seriously, 
yet  with  tenderness  and  emotion,  "  all  is  not  mine. 
All  is  yours.  This  property,  through  a  wise  Provi- 
dence, has  come  into  your  possession.  I  have  no 
right  to  it." 


208  TRUE  RICHES;  OR, 


"If  it  is  mine,  father,"  said  Fanny,  "have  I  not 
a  right  to  do  with  it  what  I  please  ?" 

"In  a  certain  sense  you  have." 

"  Then  I  give  it  all  to  you — you,  my  more  than 
father !" 

"  For  such  a  noble  tender,  my  dear  child,  I  thank 
you  in  the  very  inmost  of  my  heart.  But  I  cannot 
accept  of  it,  Fanny." 

"  Why  not,  father  ?  Why  not  ?  You  have  be- 
stowed on  me  more  than  wealth  could  buy  ?  I  know 
something  of  what  you  have  borne  and  suffered  for 
me.  Your  health,  now  impaired,  was  broken  for 
me.  Oh,  my  father  !  can  I  ever  forget  that  ?  Can  I 
ever  repay  you  all  I  owe  ?  Were  the  world's  wealth 
mine,  it  should  be  yours." 

Overcome  by  her  feelings,  Fanny  wept  for  some 
time  on  the  breast  of  him  she  knew  only  as  her 
father ;  and  there  the  interview  closed  for  the  time. 

Soon  after  it  was  renewed  ;  and  the  occasion  of 
this  was  an  advantageous  business  offer  made  to 
Claire  by  Mr.  Melleville,  if  he  could  bring  in  a  ca- 
pital of  twelve  thousand  dollars.  Two  of  the  houses 
received  from  Jasper,  with  some  stocks,  were  sold  to 
furnish  this  capital,  and  Claire,  after  his  long  strug- 
gle, found  himself  in  a  safe  and  moderately  profitable 
business ;  and,  what  was  more,  with  a  contented  and 
thankful  spirit.  Of  what  treasures  was  he  possessed  ? 
Treasures  of  affection,  such  as  no  money  could  buy ; 
and,  above  all,  the  wealth  of  an  approving  con- 
science. 

Mrs.  Claire — happy  wife  and  mother ! — how  large 
too  was  her  wealth.  From  the  beginning  she  had 
possessed  the  riches  which  have  no  wings — spiritual 


WEALTH   WITHOUT   WINGS.  209 


riches,  that  depend  on  no  worldly  changes ;  laid  up 
in  the  heaven  of  her  pure  mind,  where  moth  could 
not  corrupt,  nor  thieves  break  through  and  steal. 
The  better  worldly  fortune  that  now  came  added  to 
her  happiness,  because  it  afforded  the  means  of  giv- 
ing to  their  children  higher  advantages,  and  pro- 
cured for  them  many  blessings  and  comforts  to  which 
they  were  hitherto  strangers. 

Five  years,  passed  under  an  almost  cloudless  sky, 
succeeded,  and  then  the  sweet  home  circle  was  broken 
by  the  withdrawal  of  one  whose  presence  made  per- 
petual sunshine.  One  so  good,  so  lovely,  so  fitted 
in  every  way  to  form  the  centre  of  another  home  cir- 
cle as  Fanny  Elder,  could  hardly  remain  unwooed  or 
unwon.  Happily,  in  leaving  the  paternal  haven, 
her  life-boat  was  launched  on  no  uncertain  sea.  The 
character  of  her  husband  was  based  on  those  sound, 
religious  principles,  which  regard  justice  to  man  as 
the  expression  of  love  to  God. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  husband  of  Fanny  had 
taken  his  lovely  young  wife  to  his  own  home,  Claire 
waited  upon  him  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  formal 
transfer  of  his  wife's  property. 

"There  are  four  houses,"  said  Claire,  in  describ- 
ing the  property ;  "  besides  twelve  thousand  dollars 
which  I  have  in  my  business.  A  portion  of  this 
latter  I  will  pay  over ;  on  the  balance,  while  it  re- 
mains"  

"Mr.  Claire,"  returned  the  young man>  interrupt- 
ing him,  "the  house  you  now  live  in,  Fanny  says,  is 
your  property — also  the  capital  in  your  business." 

"  No — no — no.  This  is  not  so.  I  do  not  want, 
and  I  will  not  keep  a  dollar  of  her  patrimony." 


210  TRUE   RICHES. 


"You  are  entitled  to  every  thing,  in  good  right," 
said  the  young  man,  smiling.  "  But  we  will  consent 
to  take  one-half  as  a  good  start  in  life." 

"But,  my  dear  sir" 

We  will  not,  however,  record  the  arguments,  af- 
firmations, protestations,  etc.,  made  by  each  party  in 
this  contention,  but  drop  the  curtain,  and  leave  the 
reader  to  infer  the  sequel.  He  cannot  go  very  far 
wide  of  the'  truth. 


THE  END. 


J.  W.  BRADLEY, 

48  NORTH  FOURTH  ST.,  PHILADELPHIA;  AND 

L.  P.  CROWN  &  CO., 

61  CORNHILL,  BOSTON, 

PUBLISH  THE  FOLLOWING! 

WORKS  BY  JOHN  FROST,  LL.D. 


THRILLING  ADVENTURES  AMONG  THE 
INDIANS. 

Comprising  the  most  remarkable  Personal  Narratives  of 
events  in  the  early  INDIAN  WARS,  as  well  as  of  Incidents 
in  the  recent  Indian  Hostilities  in  Mexico  and  Texas.  Il- 
lustrated with  over  300  Engravings,  from  designs  by  W. 
CB.OOME,  and  other  distinguished  artists. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"  The  matter  contained  in  this  handsome  volume,  is  as  well 
calculated  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  character  of  the  In- 
dians, and  their  modes  of  life,  as  that  of  any  book  ever  pub- 
lished. All  that  gives  a  charm  to  romance  may  be  found  in 
the  narrative  contained  in  this  work,  but  all  of  them  possess 
the  never-failing  attractions  of  truth.  The  sufferings  of  nu- 
merous captives  are  also  detailed,  together  with  their  contri- 
vances of  escape  from  their  savage  captors.  The  illustrations, 
by  the  well-known  W.  Croome,  are  excellent  in  design  and  exe- 
cution, and  the  printing  and  binding  of  the  work  are  fine  speci- 
mens of  each  art. 

1 


GREAT  EVENTS  IN  MODERN  HISTORY: 

Comprising  the  MOST  REMARKABLE  DISCOVE- 
RIES, CONQUESTS,  REVOLUTIONS,  GREAT  BATTLES, 
and  other  Thrilling  Incidents,  chiefly  in  Europe  and  America, 
from  the  commencement  of  the  Sixteenth  Century  to  the  pre- 
sent time.  Embellished  with  over  500  Engravings,  by  W. 
CROOME,  and  other  eminent  artists.  The  following  are  ex- 
tracts from  notices  of  the  press  received  by  the  Publisher. 

NOTICES  OP  THE  PEESS. 

"We  have  here,  within  the  compass  of  eight  hundred  pages, 
the  history  of  those  events  of  modern  history,  which  have  been 
'big  with  mighty  consequences,'  and  with  which,  therefore,  all 
men  should  become  acquainted.  Beginning  with  the  discovery  of 
America,  by  Columbus — that  new  starting-point  of  civilization 
— the  work  proceeds  through  the  history  of  the  various  Euro- 
pean nations,  culling  those  great  periods  when,  either  by  wars 
or  revolutions,  each  nation  began  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  place 
in  the  general  estimation  of  men,  and  to  make  its  influence  felt 
by  those  without  its  limits.  The  late  revolutions  in  Europe, 
the  Mexican  war,  and  the  gold  discoveries  in  California,  are 
rapidly  and  vividly  sketched.  The  illustrations,  principally 
from  designs  by  Croome,  are  numerous,  well  executed,  serving 
to  impress  the  striking  scenes  and  characters  of  history  upon 
the  tablet  of  memory.  The  whole  work,  in  design  and  exe- 
cution, reflects  great  credit  upon  all  concerned  in  its  produc- 
tion." 


, 
J.  W.  BEADLET, 

NO.  48  NORTH  FOURTH  STREET,  PHILADELPHIA; 

AND  L.  P.  CROWN  &  CO., 

61  CORNHILL,  BOSTON, 
PUBLISH  THE  FOLLOWING  WORKS  BY  T.  S.  ARTHUR. 


LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS  OF  REAL  LIFE,  with  an 
autobiography  and  portrait  of  the  author,  over  600  pages 
octavo,  with  fine  tinted  engravings. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

In  this  volume  maybe  found  a  "moral  suasion,"  which  can- 
not but  effect  for  good  all  who  read.  The  mechanical  execu- 
tion of  the  work  is  very  beautiful  throughout. — New  Haven 
Palladium. 

It  is  by  far  the  most  valuable  book  ever  published  of  his 
works,  inasmuch  as  it  is  enriched  with  a  very  interesting, 
though  brief  autobiography. — American  Courier. 

No  family  library  is  complete  without  a  copy  of  this  book — 
Scott's  Weekly  Paper. 

No  better  or  worthier  present  could  be  made  to  the  young, 
no  offering  more  pure,  charitable,  and  practicable,  could  be 
tendered  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  truly  benevolent 
reforms  of  the  day. — Godey's  Lady's  Book. 

The  paper,  the  engravings,  the  binding,  and  the  literary  con- 
tents, are  all  calculated  to  make  it  a  favourite. — Penn.  Inquirer. 

This  volume  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended. — A".  Y. 
Tribune. 

More  good  has  been  effected,  than  by  any  other  single  me- 
dium that  we  know  of. — N.  Y.  Sun. 

The  work  should  be  upon  the  centre-table  of  every  parent  in 
the  land. — National  Temperance  Magazine. 

A  single  story  is  worth  the  price  charged  for  the  book. — 
Union,  Newburyporl,  Mass. 


ARTHUR'S  SKETCHES  OF  LIFE  AND  CHARAC- 
TER, an  octavo  volume  of  over  400  pages,  beautifully  illus- 
trated, and  bound  in  the  best  English  muslin,  gilt. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

The  present  volume,  containing  more  than  four  hundred 
finely-printed  octavo  pages,  is  illustrated  by  spirited  engra- 
vings, and  made  particularly  valuable  to  thos&  who  like  to 
"see  the  face  of  him  they  talk  withal,"  by  a  correct  likeness 
of  the  author,  finely  engraved  on  steel. — Neat's  Gazette. 

In  the  princely  mansions  of  the  Atlantic  merchants,  and  in 
the  rude  log  cabins  of  the  backwoodsman,  the  name  of  Arthur 
is  equally  known  and  cherished  as  the  friend  of  virtue. — Gra- 
ham's Magazine. 

We  would  not  exchange  our  copy  of  these  sketches,  with  its 
story  of  "  The  Methodist  Preacher,"  for  any  one  of  the  gilt- 
edged  and  embossed  annuals  which  we  have  yet  seen. — Lady's 
National  Magazine. 

The  first  story  in  the  volume,  entitled,  "The  Methodist 
Preacher,  or  Lights  and  Shadows  in  the  Life  of  an  Itinerant," 
is  alone  worth  the  price  of  the  work. — Evening  Bulletin. 

It  is  emphatically  a  splendid  work. — Middletown  Whig. 

Its  worth  and  cheapness  should  place  it  in  every  person's 
hands  who  desire  to  read  an  interesting  book. — Odd  Fellow, 
£oon*boro. 

"The  Methodist  Preacher,"  "Seed  Time  and  Harvest," 
"Dyed  in  the  Wool,"  are  full  of  truth,  as  well  as  instruction, 
and  any  one  of  them  is  worth  the  whole  price  of  the  volume. — 
Lowell  Daystar,  Rev.  D.  C.  Eddy,  Editor. 

There  is  a  fascination  about  these  sketches  which  so  power- 
fully interests  the  reader,  that  few  who  commence  one  of  them 
will  part  with  it  till  it  is  concluded ;  and  they  will  bear  read- 
ing repeatedly. — Norfolk  and  Portsmouth  Herald. 

Those  who  have  not  perused  these  model  stories  have  a  rich 
feast  in  waiting,  and  we  shall  be  happy  if  we  can  be  instru- 
mental in  pointing  them  to  it. — Family  Visitor,  Madison,  Geo. 

No  library  for  family  reading  should  be  considered  complete 
without  this  volume,  which  is  as  lively  and  entertaining  in  its 
character,  as  it  is  salutary  in  its  influence. — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

The  work  is  beautifully  illustrated.  Those  who  are  at  all 
acquainted  with  Arthur's  writings  need  hardly  be  told  that  the 
present  work  is  a  prize  to  whoever  possess  it. — N.  Y.Sun. 


We  know  no  better  book  for  the  table  of  any  family,  whether 
regarded  for  its  neat  exterior  or  valuable  contents. —  Vox 
Populi,  Low. 

The  name  of  the  author  is  in  itself  a  sufficient  recommenda- 
tion of  the  work. — Lawrence  Sentinel. 

T.  S.  Arthur  is  one  of  the  best  literary  writers  of  the  age.— 
Watchman,  Circleville,  Ohio. 

The  name  alone  of  the  author  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  to  the 
reading  public  of  its  surpassing  merit. — The  Argus,  Gallatin, 
Mist. 

Probably  he  has  not  written  a  line  which,  dying,  he  could 
wish  to  erase. — Parkersburg  (Fa.)  Gazette. 


THE  WAY  TO  PROSPER,  AND  OTHER  TALES, 

12mo,  over  200  pages,  with  six  illustrations. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PEESS. 

This  is  one  of  Mr.  Arthur's  best  books.  His  object,  and  he 
always  has  in  view  a  noble  one,  is  to  recommend  family  union, 
a  firm  adherence  to  the  law  which  requires  us  to  respect  the 
holy  tie  of  family  union,  which  requires  brother  to  assist  bro- 
ther, and  sister,  sister.  By  means  of  a  lively  and  pleasing  nar- 
rative, he  shows  that  this  principle  is  not  only  right,  but  politic, 
and  that  the  law  of  family  unions  is  really  the  true  way  to  pros- 
per. We  commend  the  volume  to  our  readers  as  one  of  the 
best  and  most  profitable  of  the  many  useful  works  which  have 
been  produced  by  the  same  accomplished  writer. — Godey's 
Lady's  Book. 

This  is  the  title  of  a  small  volume  published  by  Mr.  J.  Yf. 
Bradley,  of  this  city.  It  is  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  T.  S.  Arthur — 
the  story  of  two  families,  one  of  which  prospers  by  the  union 
of  good-will  which  prevails  among  the  brothers,  and  leads  them 
always  to  aid  each  other  in  their  worldly  undertakings ;  while 
the  other  goes  to  rack  and  ruin,  because  the  brothers  always 
act  upon  the  maxim,  "Every  one  for  himself."  The  moral  is 
excellent,  and  cannot  be  too  earnestly  and  widely  inculcated. 

Mr.  Bradley  has  produced  this  little  work  in  very  handsome 
style,  with  original  embellishments  from  the  fertile  pencil  of 
Mr.  Crooine. — Scott's  Weekly. 


GOLDEN  GRAINS  FROM  LIFE'S  HARVEST  FIELD, 

bound  in  full  gilt,  with  a  beautiful  mezzotint  engraving, 
12mo,  240  pages. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the  Golden  Grains  here  pre- 
sented to  the  reader,  are  such  as  will  be  productive  of  a  far 
greater  amount  of  human  happiness  than  those,  in  search  of 
which,  so  many  are  willing  to  risk  domestic  peace,  health,  and 
even  life  itself,  in  a  distant  and  inhospitable  region. 

These  narratives,  like  all  of  those  which  proceed  from  the 
same  able  pen,  are  remarkable  not  only  for  their  entertaining 
and  lively  pictures  of  actual  life,  but  for  their  admirable  moral 
tendency. 

It  is  printed  in  excellent  style,  and  embellished  with  a  mez- 
zotint engraving.  We  cordially  recommend  it  to  the  favour  of 
our  readers. —  Lfodey's  Lady's  Magazine. 


TRUE  RICHES;  or,  WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS, 

12mo,  210  pages,  with  a  fine  mezzotint  Frontispiece. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

This  volume  is  written  by  T.  S.  Arthur,  the  most  popular  of 
all  our  American  writei-s  on  domestic  subjects.  His  intention 
is  to  direct  the  reader  to  the  real  riches  of  life,  the  wealth 
which  cannot  be  taken  away  by  the  adverse  events  of  fortune. 
The  true  wisdom  of  life,  he  shows  us,  is  to  place  our  fortune  in 
ourselves,  to  make  our  own  minds  rich  in  intellectual  treasures, 
and  our  hearts  true  to  the  legitimate  purposes  and  ends  of  life. 
When  the  doctrine  of  this  little  volume  becomes  univers.illy 
prevalent,  a  new  era  of  happiness  will  dawn  upon  mankind. — 
Godey's  Lady's  Book. 

Mr.  Arthur,  in  this  volume,  impresses  upon  his  readers  the 
importance  of  laying  up  treasures  in  the  really  profitable  way 
— moral  and  intellectual  treasures,  which,  in  all  the  storms  of 
ill-fortune,  never  leave  their  possessor  without  ample  re- 
sources. The  world  acknowledges  the  truth  of  his  moral,  but 
often  forgets  to  reduce  it  to  practice.  It  therefore,  becomes 
the  duty  of  the  world's  moral  teachers,  of  which  Mr.  Arthur  is 
one  of  the  most  successful,  to  impress  the  truth  by  a  well-writ- 
ten narrative. — Scott's  Weekly. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stamped  below. 

Rt, 
*   JAN  16  1996 


10M-1 1-50(2555)470 


REMIHGTON  RAND  -  2O 


II 1 1 II II  III  I  III  I II II  111 

L  007  317  847  7 


PS 

1039 

A?8tru 


